Idol of Song, Creature of Night
by SoraKaibaLeonhart101
Summary: Tatsuha Uesugi thought he knew everything about his beloved idol, Ryuichi Sakuma. But it shows there's more to the gorgeous superstar then meets the eye...a lot more, and Tatsuha's about ready to get a personal look into Sakuma's hidden life.
1. Chapter 1

Idol of Song, Creature of Night 

Gravitation

Date Started: May 9, 2006

Sora Kazuma

Author's Notes: A side-story for Lena's Fic 'Blood-Stained Music Sheets', it's mostly my crazy wacked out tribute to Ryuichi Sakuma and Tatsuha Uesugi. Vampires, music, gay men…random explosions from the God of War K…why do I have to explain it to you guys…its Gravitation! So onward to the story, once you know that this will be rated 17+. With that said, have at it fans!

**Chapter One: A Rising Obsession, A Mutual Affection?**

Ryuichi Sakuma was always… a little strange, even in his fans eyes. He was a goofball, a crybaby, a child 90 of the time. But when he stepped on stage, something happened. It was like the childishness, the immaturity melted away leaving nothing behind but the raw powerful emotion, the drive, the spark, the heat that was the heart of worldwide platinum artists Nittle Grasper.

At first glance, the lead singer with the gorgeous voice was ungodly beautiful. Shaggy chocolate brown hair that he couldn't decide whether he wanted it grown out or short, big bright cerulean blue eyes that almost seemed to large for his boyish face. He looked younger then he was…late teens, early twenties, not someone who was nearing 34. Enough earring studs to line both of his ears, and a simple dress of t-shirt's and baggy pants to fit his tall lean figure, he looked more American then Japanese, though his name said it all.

He had seen the world…his band had been international, number one for years, and even after their breakup, his career as a solo musician skyrocketed. XMR Records out of New York City had picked him up and he was a Billboards Number One artist for weeks…his breakout CD was multi-platinum in days. Two and a half years ago, he returned to Japan, announced that Nittle Grasper would be reforming under NG Records, the record label Touma Seguichi of the same band had created after the original break up five years before. Their main target was a band called Bad Luck from the same label, a no-talent trio of wannabes who had seemingly come from out of nowhere, been hired by the company on sheer enthusiasm and had somehow made it up the charts with their debut CD to have several number one hits. Ryuichi had issued a challenge to Bad Luck's lead singer, Shuichi Shindou, someone he called a close friend, to enter a grueling five-week contest. Both bands would put out ten new singles in that time, and the fans would decide who would stay and who would go. In the end it came back down to Bad Luck being the top dog. New talent won out against old charisma and Nittle Grasper conceded for once in nearly ten years. It wasn't long after that that the famous group disbanded again, and Ryuichi was back over in the States, this time working under Judy Winchester's Agency as an actor.

To crazed fan Tatsuha Uesugi, this was all nothing new to him. He kept up on Ryuichi's life as if it was his own…everything and anything. He had all the magazines articles, CDs, tapes, DVDs, posters, apparel…if it was Nittle Grasper and Ryuichi Sakuma chances are, Tatsuha had it.

The nineteen year old had his own place in Kyoto now…he had moved out of the temple that his father ran and had an apartment for himself, though he still saw his parents every single day. He worked, just like every other kid trying to support himself, stayed in touch with his elder sister Mika, her husband Touma and their year-old son Kairu and on occasion got through to his brother Eiri when he wasn't trying to make his deadlines, sleep or make love to his little boy toy. Tatsuha loved his family…they were all dear to him, but sometimes he just felt so left out of everything. His sister was married to one of the most successful men in the music industry and also a keyboardist for Nittle Grasper, and his brother had been dating lead singer of Bad Luck, Shindou-kun for almost 3 years now. It seemed life revolved around their spotlight and Tatsuha had nothing to go on. The one person he loved, that he believed he loved, was overseas and had been for two years working on a movie set in California. There was no one else for him, but he didn't hope to stand a chance.

It was a little after three on a Friday afternoon when his cellphone went off in the baggy pocket of his robes. The young priest had been in the middle of prayer when the small thing had vibrated against his thigh, and if the number hadn't come up as 'Seguchi Mika' he wouldn't have bothered to answer it. Excusing himself from the shrine, he picked it up, well on its way to its seventh ring. He was surprised his voicemail didn't pick up first.

"Yes Sis? What's up?" He asked, starting down the steps out of the temple. Dark raven eyes blinked and then widened slightly as the voice on the other end of the line spoke up, definitely not his sister's voice.

"Afternoon Tatsuha, how are you doing?"

"Seguchi-san!" He automatically recognized the voice and that very whimsical tone it always seemed to hold. "Afternoon. What are you doing with Mika's cellphone?"

The voice just laughed. "She went over to see Eiri this afternoon and so I've got Kairu right now. I wanted to let you in on something alright? But you can't say a word to anyone."

Tatsuha felt his heart skip a beat at that. Touma always had a way of intimidating him. "Alright…?" He said, wondering what this was all about this time. If it was another crazy stunt against Bad Luck, he was out. Eiri had almost killed him once for messing with his boyfriend, he wasn't about to let it happen again.

"You do realize that this year is the twelve-year-anniversary of Nittle Grasper, correct?"

"How could I not? I've been counting the days." He replied, feeling even a little bit more apprehensive with the mention of the band name.

"Our greatest hits CD also goes out in a month. We would have released it on our tenth, but unfortunately that was before we disbanded again. And this time it just feels right. You know Ryuichi's movie comes out in Japan next week right?" Again with things and questions Tatsuha already knew. He had pleaded them out of Shuichi weeks ago.

He smiled. Maybe he was just trying to stir up conversation. Maybe he would change topic and ask him to come to Tokyo for the weekend to watch his nephew. Something like that. "I know. I can't wait to see it. I've already bought tickets."

"Really now?" The voice fluctuated and then he let out a soft sigh. "That's too bad. I was hoping you would want to come to the private screening tomorrow night while Ryuichi is in town."

Wait…hold the phone…what did he just say…?

Tatsuha was to stunned to think for a moment…he couldn't speak…he could barely breath. His knees were giving out on him and he numbly just collapsed on to the steps before he fell. "Seguchi-san…say it again." He had to hear those words.

If Touma was aware of Tatsuha's affections for his best friend, he was very well at hiding it. "Oh?" He questioned innocently. "Well, we were keeping it a secret…it was going to be an NG thing…but Eiri and Shindou are going to be there, along with Mika, Noriko and her husband, most of the producing label of the record company, some XMR staff... We co-handled the making of the official soundtrack, so it's only fair our bands get to profit a little free time from it. So… I figured while the whole family is together you would want to be there too Tatsuha, specially since Ryu hasn't been here for a very long time."

The teen was so happy, he didn't know what he wanted to do first…cry a river…or let a river run of blood from his nose. He and Ryuichi together at the movies, watching his gorgeous body on the screen…it was like a dream come true. "What do I have to do to go?" He asked, wondering if there was going to be a catch to this. It sounded to good to be true.

Touma only chuckled. "Be here, at Eiri's place, ready to go tomorrow by 5 PM."

The motorcycle stopped out front of the well-kept pad and Tatsuha took off his helmet, resting it against his hip as he turned his bike off and left it close to the house. He was half expecting the pink-haired ball of energy to answer the door at full run, so it surprised him when he rung the doorbell twice and it opened to reveal an almost exact replica of him standing there, only a little taller with golden hair and eyes. "Hey Bro." He said, blinking. For once Eiri didn't look half asleep or half drunk answering the door. He was wearing khaki pants, a buttoned down dress shirt of emerald green, matching piercings in the ears and his thin-framed glasses. For once…he looked nice. "Where's Shindou? I was expecting him to be ready and you to be locked in your study still."

"I've been listening to his damn chatter all day about this premiere. If I'm not there on time I'm never going to hear the fucking end of it." He left the door open, turning back around and heading inside, expecting his brother to follow him.

Once in the house he ditched the helmet, the chaps and the heavy bike jacket, revealing black cargos, a silk shirt of fire engine red and the silver chain he wore around his neck. The two were always the opposites in everything. Eiri returned to the bedroom, though after a moment his voice echoed out through the silent house. "Touma needed him there ahead of time, so he went on without me. It's just the two of us."

"How romantic." The youth grinned, walking into the bathroom to fix his hair. He was paranoid about the way he looked, after not seeing Ryuichi in so long….

The sound of boots resounding across the floor barely caught his attention, but the sound of his brother's deep mock-annoyed tone of "Shut up" Made him smile. Eiri was Eiri, anti-social, vain and unamused as always.

"Will you stop with the damn primping like a schoolgirl? You're just as bad as he is." It was evident he was ready to go and only holding him up.

"Yeah, yeah." Tasuha said, raking back his long raven bangs before exiting the bathroom. There was no response needed to know who he was talking about and he had had a feeling Shuichi would be like that too. If there was anyone who admired Ryuichi just as much as he did, it was Eiri's boyfriend.

They were taking the black BMW import…probably one of Eiri's favorite little toys. Tatsuha had gotten used to riding on the opposite side of the car long ago after his brother had first shown an interest in foreign motors. He liked his machines raw and fast, so as soon as they were out of the neighborhood and on the freeway the vehicle was moving at 90MPH. Neither one was phased by the speed…the youth had just done that on his bike coming in from Kyoto.

Most of the ride was silent…it wasn't a very long trip anyway…traffic was light on the main roads so it was only about twenty minutes into the heart of the city, and then it was a matter of getting close enough to the premiere. Tatsuha had asked about Shindou…how they're relationship was going, how his career was going, but Eiri hardly responded more then two or three word answers. He was used to that, still it was better then silence. The problems that lay inside his brother had scared deeply, and he just didn't trust anyone really.

The group gathered infront of the movie theatre started about 4 blocks out and spanned both sides of the street. Police officials had the place blocked off and when they stopped the car to turn it around, merely rolling down the window and tilting the sunglasses, Eiri was escorted through. Tatsuha was a little amazed at the turnout for what had been deemed 'a private event' but still, Nittle Grasper was who they were.

"This place is going to be swarming with news crews. Touma's kept most of them except the few entertainment shows at bay, but still." Eiri actually spoke up once the theatre was almost dead in view. "Shuichi will be waiting for us out on the red carpet…Bad Luck had an interview or something. Just don't let people get the wrong idea, and be careful tonight."

"Wow, Bro…" He smiled at him as the police were stopping the car, flagging it down right in front of the inside. That was more then he had ever told him, not since they were very little. "Thanks."

"Just…don't do anything stupid." He told him, that annoyed tone coming back, brushing it off as nothing.

The doors opened and Tatsuha stepped out of the car, knowing that Eiri was simultaneously doing the same thing on the other side. The reporter standing there caught sight of the two dreamy gentleman, finished talked to her cameramen and rushed off. Tatsuha had been expecting that at the sight of his brother. Course the crowds were going wild and the girls just would not stop screaming.

Eiri came around, more to protect his brother then anything, though the reporter had gotten to him first. "Why hello there, who do we have here?" She asked, looking up at him with a slight blush. Tatsuha loved how he could do that to women and not even try.

"This…" Eiri was first to intercept, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Is my little brother." His deep voice was holding that sugary sweet charm that made the people who knew him really want to laugh and that smile…god when he smiled like that you wanted to melt into the floor.

"Good evening Yuki-san." The reporter smiled, a little disappointed she hadn't caught him with someone else, but still captured by the blonde's beauty. "It's nice of you to join us this evening."

"It's nice to be here, thank you." He tilted his head, those long bangs shadowing his eyes.

"YUKI!"

They had been expecting it, but two seconds after the pink-hair was spotted, the boy was at his lover's side. Bright purple eyes, a very feminine build and an ungodly voice was trademark as Bad Luck's leading vocalist. And of course the crowds were going crazy again.

"Shindou-san, hello again!" The reporter giggled at his very childish entrance, dashing the red carpet just so he could hold hands with his beloved.

"Hello again Mari, you'll have to excuse me. I've been waiting for him to get here all evening!" He beamed, and Tatsuha knew that smile all to well. As long as Eiri was with the boy, the world was perfect.

"I can understand. So Yuki-san, I know Shindou's excited about the entire premiere. How about you?" She asked her gaze still glued to the blonde.

"Shuichi's been talking about this all day, and Touma asked us to be here. We're all a family and he wanted us to help with his friend's career, Shu's a fan, so I'm just hoping its going to be as much fun as everyone's building it up to be."

"Oh!" Shuichi finally finished cuddling Eiri's arm to glance over at Tatsuha, who was feeling semi-left out at the moment. "Ryuichi's here Tatsuha! Have you seen him yet?"

The boy's heart skipped a beat and his eyes widened. "No, I haven't. Where's he at Shindou-kun?

The reporter was now semi-interested. "A long time fan of Ryuichi Sakuma?" She asked, trying to stay involved in conversation.

Tatsuha smiled a smile that could probably rival Eiri's. "Of course. Nittle Grasper is my favorite band. Sakuma-san is my idol."

Shuichi could tell it was time to get them away from this lady. "I'll introduce you to him Tatsuha! Come on! Thanks for talking with us Mari-san!" He smiled boyishly, leading the way further down the red carpet.

Touma and Mika were up closer near the entrance with Reiji of XMR label, and Sakano was just inside the doors. Passing through, Eiri squeezed Shu's hand, telling him to stop. "I'm going to go see Touma. The two of you find Ryuichi and I'll catch up with you both before the movie starts."

Shuichi's violet eyes held a very worried questioning look and then he just gave a small nod. "Alright. See you then."

Tatsuha had caught it and then some. Something was bothering the couple. As soon as they were out of earshot of Eiri he moved up closer to Shuichi. "Is everything alright? You guys didn't get in a fight or something did you?"

"Huh?" The boy batted his lashes innocently. "Oh...! No, no, don't worry. Everything's fine."

"You sure?" He persisted. Eiri was acting semi-strange and now Shuichi too, not that he ever acted normal, but still, something was up.

There was a large group of press just up ahead, circled around a backdrop of the movie poster and several flashes were going off, catching their attention. Shu just giggled. "Yeah I'm sure. What's up with you? I figured you'd be more happier to see the love of your life!"

"I am happy...! Eiri's just been…" He sighed. "Never mind."

Shuichi looked up at him, brows furrowed and then turned his attention back towards the press. "Hey guys, how bout giving them 5 minutes to breathe!" He called at the reporters and photographers circling like vultures.

A couple heads turned at that. "Shindou-san!" A few huffed. "Not right now, we still got a few minutes."

The lead singer just shrugged. "Alright then. Guess I have no choice but to sick K on you."

At the mention of that simple letter, the group started to disperse around the area. One of the reporters just smiled sheepishly. "Let me know when you all are ready." He said, backing off.

The moment the people moved, all eyes were on the man wearing the black and white tuxedo and the silver cuff earrings. Tatsuha had seen shots of the movie but even still, seeing the real thing made him stand stock still in place, not knowing how to breathe.

He had grown his hair out again like he had when Nittle Grasper was young, halfway down his back and tied loosely at the end, though several layered strands fell against his cheeks and his bangs still tickled his nose. Bright ocean blue eyes blinked and he was wearing the most gorgeous clueless smile, standing next to the petite blonde who was no doubt the leading actress in the movie. The moment he saw them, his eyes sparked and he left the woman to run to the two boys. "SHUICHI!" He cried wrapping his arms around his neck, course it didn't work to well when Shu was shorter then him and the younger of the two almost fell backward. "You were gone so long Shuichi I was starting to get worried!"

"He was gone all of ten minutes Sakuma." The blonde gave a small smile. No doubt she was used to this by now and it showed in her amused green eyes. Her Japanese wasn't bad, but her accent was heavy on it and Tatsuha looked over at her, reveling in the curvy body beneath the silver sequin dress. Damn what he wouldn't give to take her and his idol back to his room with him.

"TATSUHA!" He was so lost in thought he wasn't aware he had gotten pounce-hugged until it happened. Raven eyes widened at the feel of the arms reaching up around his neck, the smell of Ryuichi's cologne…god, this was almost to much.

"Sakuma-san…" He managed to get out, feeling so good, he could die right now and be perfectly happy.

Ryuichi let him go, though his hands were still resting on his arms. Those big blue eyes looked up at him so sincere he just wanted to cuddle him right there in front of everyone. "I missed you so much Tatsuha! Touma kept telling me how you and everyone were. I'm glad to be home!"

Tatsuha was nearly in tears with that heartfelt statement. "We're glad to have you home Sakuma-san." He said in a sound that almost came out as a purr. Realizing the boy was missing something he blinked his dark eyes. "Sakuma-san, where's Kumagoro?" Realizing he didn't have his trusty pink rabbit plushie with him.

"Sarah made me leave him in the trailer. But that's okay, I promised to take him to the movie to make up for it!" He beamed. "Will you stay with me until then Tatsuha?"

Those dark eyes just gave in and he smiled a sincerely gorgeous smile that made Shuichi beam proudly. "Yeah, I'll stay with you." Always.

"YAAYYYYYY!" He said, arms wrapping around Tatsuha's arm like Shu had done earlier, just kind of latching on to him.

"So, Sakuma-san, Shindou-kun, who's your cute friend?" The blonde actress asked, finally coming over after ditching the last of the reporters. Apparently she had caught sight of him the same way he had her because those sugary pink shaded lips upturned into a smile.

"Oh…" Shuichi smiled. "This is Uesugi Tatsuha…Eiri Yuki's little brother." Something about the way he said it broke Tatsuha out of his dream haze a little to look over at the older boy.

"Really now?" The woman giggled. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Sarah O'Hallan."

"No! You can't have Tatsuha, Sarah!" Ryuichi immediately snapped, his head falling against the side of the boy's arm. "He's mine! You can't take him away from me like you did Kumagoro-kun!"

"Sakuma-san…" Tatsuha wished he wasn't just playing around but he knew that was all he meant. Even still it was wonderful hearing those words.

The woman let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine, make me your enemy for now…"

"Sakuma-san!"

"God, their worse then my reporters." Shuichi glared at the two new newscasters who had entered the theatre in search for the idol, though they hardly paid any attention to him and went right over to the Ryuichi who was still cuddling Tatsuha's arm. Bad Luck's lead singer caught a glance at Tatsuha and he smiled. "Have fun tonight. We'll leave him to you."

"Shindou-kun, I owe you one!" He grinned, his attention pulled back towards the two girls who were practically fainting at Ryuichi's presence.

The rest of the night was much like this for the two. Like he promised, Ryu was not about to let Tatsuha go and Tatsuha was more then pleased to be seen at his side. "He's going to let this go to his head." Eiri said, watching as his younger brother smiled for the camera.

"Don't you think he deserves it a little bit?" Shuichi looked up at his lover with big violet eyes.

"Hell no." The blonde replied automatically, pulling out a pack of cigarettes to place one loosely between his lips.

"I was expecting that. But Tatsuha's dedication and loyalty make tonight seem that much more worth it. He's been chasing after Sakuma-san for years. He mine as well have one night." He said, watching the two of them. "Seeing the two of them together makes me want to be with you."

"You're the one who wanted to be here instead of at home all alone with me." He responded coldly. "And what's this 'one night' bullshit? You know as well as I do that if everything goes according to plan they'll-"

The handsome novelist's words were cut off by the microphone starting up and the master of ceremonies ushering everyone to their seats so they could move on with the program of events.

"Come on Tatsuha, this way." Ryu was already tugging on his escort's arm, leading him further back towards the back room.

"But Sakuma-san, the movie's going to start soon. Don't we have to be getting to our seats?" The younger man inquired with a bat of his charcoal gray eyes.

"Later! We have to get Kumagoro-kun!" He said half paying attention to the question.

"And the curtain rises on act one." The charming voice of Seguchi Tohma came through the air, causing Shuichi to nearly jump in over anticipation. However the boyish blonde was just wearing that adorable half smile, teal eyes closing. "The actors have all fallen in to place. We just have to see how the scene plays out."

Tatsuha was almost in tears he was so happy. He was going in the back to a hidden backstage room with Ryuichi. Alone. This was almost to good to be true. His heart was racing so fast, his legs were going weak…even if it was just to grab the beloved pink plushie, just to hold his idol's hand was worth it.

"Kumagoro-kun! I'm baaaaack…!" The child-like superstar cried, opening the door and flicking on the lights as if the plush would just bound up into his arms. Pausing for a moment, he came further into the room, big cerulean eyes spying the bunny on the table. "I told you I'd be back…you don't have to sound so upset. Look I brought Tatsuha with me! He's our friend too!"

Anyone who didn't know Ryuichi well enough would have thought he had seriously mental problems, carrying on a conversation with a plushie, but Tatsuha just smiled, watching as he picked the stuffed animal up into his arms. "Yep, now we're almost ready to go. One more thing…"

Those bright blue hues looked up at the man shadowing the door with an almost mischievous smile and he walked back over to him, leaning up enough to wrap his arms around his neck.

The young priest was in a sense, stunned, dark eyes wide in disbelief. "Sakuma-san…wha…?" That lean body was pressed hard up against him and he was sure he could hear the other man's heartbeat sure and steady against his own. This was to much to take. One hand reached back against the wall to try and steady himself though he felt like he was going to collapse.

"I'm hungry." There was a soft whispered breath against the flesh of his neck, a purring demand to be fed. A ginger brush of gentle lips against the skin there and the man shivered underneath them, a silent beg for him to continue.

A tongue caressed softly and then there was a nip, and a sharp pain followed.

Tatsuha was already in a half daze, not sure he was aware of what was going on but the searing slice across his neck made him grit his teeth to avoid crying out. His back hit against the wall and he let out a heavy breath. His vision was blurring over and everything seemed to run together. Energy seemed to be leaving, fleeting like his heavy breathing. "Sakuma…"

Cerulean eyes blinked open at that, realizing what was happening as the moment's passed…holding up Tatsuha's much larger frame as he practically slumped into his arms was much more difficult while he was biting away at his neck. "T-Tatsuha!" He cried, pulling away and trying to keep him steady on his feet. Those dark eyes opened once for a brief moment and then fell back exhaustedly. There was a trickle of blood still working its way down the boy's neck that kept catching his eye, but already he had lost too much blood. It wasn't like Ryuichi to lose control but it had been driving him overboard. Since long before he had left he had wondered what his affectionate friend would be like. And now that he'd had a taste.

"Kumagoro, I think I made a boo boo." He said in a very childishly worried voice. "Tatsuha's gonna hate me now…"

If only he knew…

Chapter One End 

Author's Notes: So there you have it…chapter one is finished. Hmmm…god I love Ryuichi being all-cute and cuddly…makes my day…anyways, yes, Ryu, god of Nittle Grasper is a vampire…don't ask, I couldn't tell ya, he just is. It's Gravitation right? 99.9 of the time things don't make sense anyways. Though I hope you all like the idea and the coupling as much as I do. I felt so bad for Tatsuha during the series that he had to just have his own little story in the making.

So chapter two…you can bet Tatsuha wakes up to a very startling discovery…and you wouldn't believe who all is in on it. If that's not enough to scar the poor boy for life, there might be another thing coming when word gets out to the public of why Ryuichi is back in Japan—for good! Until I write again!

Sora Tokumi Kazuma


	2. Chapter 2

Idol of Song, Creature of Night 

Gravitation

Date Started: May 24, 2006

Sora Kazuma

Author's Notes…I wasn't expecting this story to go so well, but to those who have made reviews, I thank you. Like I said, this is a sidestory intertwined with Summoner Hirelena's fic and its written for that purpose. Well… that and more Ryu/Tatsu goodness! Anyways, I'm continuing on now! Hope you all enjoy chapter two!

**Chapter Two: A Bonded Heartbeat**

Tatsuha's head was screaming to him, the sound of silence tearing through his skull like a razor blade. He felt weightless, drifting in a void of absolute silence and sound that melded together into one being.

"Tatsuha!"

Someone was calling his name…it was a voice he knew all to well, a soft smooth tenor voice that he dreamed off. "Tatsuha!" Who was it? He knew that voice…and he wanted so badly to hear it call for him like that…

"TATSUHA!" Ryuichi was in tears, holding the boy's slumped body in his arms as he knelt on the floor. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry…come back! Please, come back!"

The door to the small dressing room flew open, nearly kicked off the hinges and a handsome blonde with a sniper rifle in hand stood in the doorway, gunpoint held at the two on the ground. A fine golden orange eyebrow rose at that and he blinked.

"K!" The superstar cried, big blue eyes blurry from tears. "Tatsuha, he's…is he dead!"

With a grace with which few could compare, the tall American crossed the room, kneeling beside them to check the boy's pulse. "No Ryu, he's still alive. Honestly, what were you thinking!"

This only provoked a soft wimpy whine out of the boy's throat and more tears to fall. "I…I…just wanted…" He squeezed his arms around his neck. "Tatsuha…"

"This wound is going to need to be taken care of Ryu, or he will bleed to death. If only he weren't Yuki's little brother…we could just throw him in a dumpster and be done with this mess."

"You will not." It was Eiri's particularly cold voice, though the bit of a sneer in it led him to believe he actually did care what happened to his sibling.

"Sakuma-san…" Shuichi was there by his side, those large violet eyes glancing between the two with great concern. He took one look at the boy in his idol's arms and he was next to tears too. "Don't cry man. You're making me cry! K, is he gonna be alright!"

"He'll live." Eiri huffed. "He's MY kid brother…you think he'll die from something like this? It's in his own blood after all…he'll make it."

--

"Tatsuha…?" There the voice was again, echoing throughout this realm, soft, questioning, beckoning for an answer. The boy shifted, felt himself grow heavier. Eyelashes batted, those dark eyes blinked open, and the world around him lurched and spun for the briefest of moments before he could focus on something he knew. Big ocean blue eyes with red rims around the edges peered down at him, that long chocolate brown hair pooling over his shoulders and falling to hide the exposed skin that was showing through the open button-down shirt. He recognized that face…how could he forget?

Even with his body aching like it was Tatsuha managed a weary smile. "Sakuma-san…"

Those cerulean eyes over-filled with tears and he clutched the boy's shirt. "Thank god you're still alive!"

"Hmmm…?" He replied, coming a little bit more out of it. "Alive…I…" His memory was foggy, but there was something…something had happened. His fingers reached for his throat instinctually, the pads brushing over soft bandaging that was wrapped around his neck. As if the pieces all feel into place, he bolted up into a sitting position, almost throwing his idol off him with the movement. "Wait a minute, you bit me, didn't you? And what about the movie premiere? Where are we!"

The room they were in did not look at all like the dressing room he had last seen. It was a cozy little bedroom with wide windows drawn closed by large curtains and a bed big enough to comfortably lay five people. Tatsuha felt his heart skip a beat, charcoal eyes looking down on the other man. "What's going on?"

Ryuichi looked guilty, hanging his head and giving him a small sheepish glance. "Tatsuhhhhaaaa…" He whined pleadingly. "There's something I want you to know. I'm a-"

"Vampire?" He gave a small grin, watching those big blue eyes blink at that. "I figured that one out the second you bit me."

"You have to promise to let no one know about this." It was soft, but it was a command.

"It's cool. But what time is it? Is the movie really over?" He asked, looking around. His sense of time was thrown off…he didn't know how long he'd been out of it.

"It's almost five in the morning. Time for me to go to sleep." He said, still not getting why he was so hung up on the premiere. He should have just been grateful to be alive with that amount of blood loss.

"Damnit, I had a feeling you were gonna say something like that." He sighed. So much for his dream of a threesome with Sarah O'Hallan and his god. Still, he was undoubtedly alone with Ryuichi for however long he had been out, though, knowing his brother-in-law, probably not. Tohma would want him gone the second he knew he was awake…he was surprised the military maniac of an American hadn't busted in through the ceiling to escort him away. This was how it always was…they never had a moment to themselves to be truly alone.

He smiled at him, a weak smile and then started to push the covers away. "So Sakuma-san, where are we anyway? I should be getting my things and leaving so you can rest. It's been an eventful night for you, one way or the other."

His body was weary and heavy and as he started to get up, a grip grabbed his wrist that should have been far greater then the smaller man could have held him by. "You don't understand the situation." Those big blue eyes were getting serious now. "You can't leave."

Tatsuha blinked, wondering exactly what was going on with this. Normally his idol was so cheerful and happy, he seldom acted like this at all. "What don't I understand?" He felt his heart leap at the way he was watching him, his insides already heavy, turning to mush in an instant. The way he was gazing at him was almost hypnotic, and the young priest was forever caught in its spell.

"That I need you." The statement was soft, but every bit just sincere. Ryuichi moved across the bed, still holding the wrist down to the sheets as he leaned in closer. Long dark bangs shadowed his face, making him look almost predatory, and Tatsuha felt every bit of being stalked. The close distance was making his heart pound in his chest. "You are mine now, and don't think you're about to escape me. I have taken your blood and I know your scent…there's no place on earth you could think to hide now."

"Sakuma-san…" The boy started, words almost unbearable in his throat. He was afraid, and he was awed, and curiosity was going to get the better of him. Cerulean eyes gazed up at him, he could feel the breath against his face, and it made every desire and every thought an aching reality just having him near. "What do you want me to do?"

There was a small growl and a hand across his broad chest pushed him back into the sheets. "Will you stop calling me that?" That voice hissed, and those soft hot lips were against his throat again, pushing bandages aside. His body weighted with exhaustion, Tatsuha could do no more then comply, falling back against the mattress and lying there. The feeling on his throat made his head tilt back. Somewhere on the inside he was flinching, afraid of another bite and of this deep haze that seemed to overcome his mind every time he was touched but he was to eager to please then show it. Here he was being pounced to the covers by Ryuichi Sakuma. He wasn't about to complain. The sweet daydream seemed to linger, fingers pushing aside the silk shirt that was already stiff in some places from blood, exposing more of the boy's torso to the touch. There was no more teeth, just a tender flick of his tongue over the puncture wounds as if in apology for marring his body. Charcoal gray eyes closed, heavy breath and soft moans escaping his mouth as he lay there completely at the mercy of this beast, this god of a vampire.

The caresses stopped after a moment and the weight on the bed shifted. The scorching lips left his flesh and there was a soft groan let out into the silence, though the boy couldn't place from where. Something dripped against his bare stomach, warm, and against his will, his eyelashes fluttered, hazy dark eyes struggling to open.

Ryuichi was right there next to him, and as he opened his eyes he cradled his head against his arm. He was smiling softly, those eyes usually so bright lined with darker hues of navy that seemed to make the cerulean shine in comparison. Pupils narrowed like that of a wild animal's were watching him, staring straight through him and reading every thought he had inside of his head. He wasn't judging, he wasn't mocking, just listening…and it made the boy almost blush in embarrassment.

Another drop against his stomach…it was steady like the relentless falling of rain against a window. Clouded eyes realized that the other's wrist was torn wide open by his teeth, bleeding openly over the clothing and sheets. As he glanced at it, processing it in his mind, that voice spoke up again, and everything collapsed in on itself again, his focus completely back on his face. "Can you do something for me Tatsuha?" He whispered softly, affectionately, as if he compromising with a small child. "Close your eyes."

The was no way he couldn't abide by that. With a heavy breath he did as he was told, whispering out in a very lazy tone. "Whatever you want from me, Ryu…"

A soft chuckle echoed throughout the room and then he whispered again, a very coaxing command. "Drink."

Yet again the boy had no ability other then to do what was told of him and he opened his mouth only long enough to let a trickle of blood from the maimed wrist down his throat. The taste was of iron and salt and against all control he gagged, coughing at the metal aftertaste it left in his throat. "Shh…" The voice comforted him softly, a little sad this time, and as the haze started to clear a little bit the boy was eased back into the weight of sleep. "_ima_ _mo todokanu hikari no yukue azayaka ni mau omoi o egakou…" _The chorus for Sleepless Beauty started lulling through the area at a very slow, steady pace, and with each word he was drifting further and further away into nothingness. "_michibiku kotoba ga koborete shimawanu you ni utsuru toki o osorenaide."_

Ryu watched the boy's naïve face as he passed back out, at least content with leaving the situation like this for the evening. Dawn was growing closer and he was starting to get tired too. He got up, bandaged up his arm well-knowing the injury would be healed by the time he reawoke that day and left the room to rejoin Kumagoro out on the couch. The man stared at the bunny plushie before he picked him out and sat down on the couch, cuddling the stuffed animal to him. "Have I done the right thing Kumagoro-kun?" He whispered in that childish voice of his, ready to fall asleep curled up there on the long leather furniture. "Was it a mistake…to let Tatsuha know…?"

--

"I don't like this at all. I don't like it one bit and I can't believe you're letting this happen." K growled, standing in front of Tohma's desk the next morning. To those at NG it was just another day at work, but to those who had been up all night with the events and the movie premiere, just being at the studio today would be difficult.

The record president just smiled that charming half smile as always, leaning his chin gracefully on his hands. "Ryuichi's place is bugged and wired to your liking K, and to my knowledge, there was no further incident then my friend simply getting carried away last night."

The American was not about to be satisfied so quickly. "You're using him and you know it. Even with his differences, Ryuichi has never had interest in men like this. You're pushing this knowing it will make publicity headlines."

Those teal blue eyes merely flickered for a moment and he calmly continued. "This was what Ryuichi wanted, and that's why I am not letting you stop him. For being from California, I'm amazed at your lack at cooperation with something like this… I figured you would be more accepting of the matter. And as for publicity…it won't hurt, but only when the time is right and nothing more. You have no room to talk after that entire ordeal with Eiri and Shindou. Be as ticked as you want but keep in mind that this is one person you won't be able to simply get rid of with a magnum just because you want them gone."

"And if things don't work out between Ryuichi and him?" K asked, without skipping a beat. He was used to protecting the idol's back 24/7 but more then that he was growing increasingly annoyed of Tohma's condescending way of dealing with him.

"Then let Ryuichi deal with it. This is not your problem, so just let it go." He spoke back in the same easy-going tone as always. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things to attend to and work to be done before I leave for the day. And I believe Bad Luck has a recording to get ready for the next album. You're going to need all the help you can get."

--

Charcoal gray eyes blinked open, squinting in the light filtering through the blinds. In an instant he bolted up, glancing around the wide bedroom as if breaking out from a nightmare or a fantasy.

His hands went for his neck, pads touching soft bare skin where a nasty wound should have been. His shirt was missing, and all of the sheets were clean fresh black silk…nothing to even suggest a bloody makeout scene had happened here earlier. There was nothing to suggest anything at all…could it have all just been a dream?

He felt unnaturally light, more aware of his surroundings then he should have been. The whole thing just felt different, a nasty sense of de ja vu, but he couldn't place it to save his life.

Slipping from the covers he stood, body reacting perfectly, not heavy or unclear like it had been in his head. The bedroom was well-furnished, but empty of people other then him, so he took to finding the exit and left, walking out into the penthouse that must have expanded at least half the top floor of the skyscraper. The curtains were closed out here, leaving most of the apartment lit by the tall lamps placed in the corner and the ones already mounted on the walls. It was a cozy little place with a big flat-screen TV, video game consoles and a leather living room set sprawled around the closest part to the bedroom door. Interested, Tatsuha walked further into the room, rifling through some of the game cases sitting out on the mahogany and glass coffee table, strategy guides sprawled on the carpet like a ten-year-olds room. It was amazing to know that he was in his idol's house, looking through his things and getting an in-depth view of the little things he had never known about his obsession.

There was the sound of a door opening, hinges squeaking a little and the boy bolted up from where he was half kneeling on the floor. Someone had just gotten home.

There was a long dark hallway that lead into the room and the sound of footsteps resounded softly across the hardwood floor. Tatsuha blinking, watched as Ryuichi game around the corner and stared up at him with those big blue eyes. "TATSUHA!" And like a repeat of last night he pounced him from across the room, sending them both sprawling back onto the living room floor with the force of a five-foot glomp.

"Sakuma-san, where'd you go? You look…nice." Hot would have been a better word and he was turning him on just by looking at him. Ryu always had a habit of looking like a little kid or a model, and today was just one of those model days. The black leather pants, the half open white ruffled shirt probably more suited for a girl's wardrobe and a denim jacket were the most standout pieces, the ear cuffs and the choker just adding to the image he was trying to give, and his hair was left down, long, framing his face and neck in several shaggy layers.

"I went to see Tohma of course. And Noriko was there, and Shuichi and his friends and a whole bunch of other guys I don't know. But they're all from other bands, so they were cool and we had a big party!" He was rambling on like an overexcited child and once again Tatsuha felt just a little confused and left out. "It was on TV if you wanna see…" Half-lying on top of him, he grabbed the remote and turned the large screen on, hitting a couple buttons and suddenly the blue screen clicked and there was a press conference going on, hundreds of press gathered around a podium where the members of Nittle Grasper were sitting, Tohma in front of the mic.

"Good afternoon to all of you. You have been called here today because of a very special event. We, of NG record label, will be giving a public concert in Yoyogi Park exactly one week from today. There will be no fee, it is merely an open to the public event. The park will be blocked off until 10am that day and seating near the pavilion is merely on a first come first serve basis. The nature of this concert is to promote some of our newer bands who have just recently signed on." The record president spoke with a calm grace that seemed to befit his childish looks.

"Seguchi-san, is it true that Nittle Grasper will be performing?" One of the press spoke up and immediately everyone in the room was waiting for an answer.

"Of course we will be!" It was Ryu who stood up, raising his voice just as Tohma went to open his mouth. "We may not be one of the rising bands, but we're still one of the best in Japan and we're going to give it our all, even if it's our last shot!"

"Ryuichi's right." Tohma smiled, a little sheepish, but with that proud look he always had when Ryu was around, like a much older brother taking care of his much younger one. "Yes, Nittle Grasper will be performing. Look for the names of the other bands to be announced later on this week."

And with that the TV clicked off again, Ryu setting it down on the table. "So, what do you think?"

Tatsuha was almost in tears he was so happy. "Sakuma-san, you're going to sing again! I can't believe this! It's so…" He felt like he was in a dream already, his idol snuggled with him on the floor and now he was going to sing…it was all like a dream. But, speaking of dreams…

Those dark eyes looked down on him after a moment of quiet thought. "This vampire thing…I wasn't just hallucinating it, right? This whole thing last night…that wasn't just a dream, was it?"

Big cerulean blue eyes blinked up at him, tilting his head to the side. "You're not mad at me, are you?" He asked, his voice a little soft.

"No, it doesn't bother me, but I just want to know why me? Is there a particular reason you chose me to be your snack?" He asked. His hand left it's place on the floor, reaching up to run against the side of his jaw softly.

Ryu smiled, that big bright childish smile. "Because you love me, that's why."

That caused the teen's face to go brilliant bright red, those dark eyes blinking wide. "Eh! But, h-how…"

The singer stood back up, staring down on him and looking every bit as cute and sexy as he always had on the CD covers and posters that cluttered Tatsuha's room. "We need to get you some clothing…you can't go walking around like that."

The priest realized that was probably his way of blowing the subject off, and the question didn't really need to be answered anyway. There were times he felt like those blue eyes could see straight into his very soul and read everything that was hidden away there. "But if you're going to sing again Sakuma, what about the movie premiere? What about being an actor?"

"For now I'm back home, and that's all that matters to me." He smiled. "Stop worrying so much Tatsuha, it's not good for youuuu…" His voice had a very melodious tone to it as he slipped off the jacket, heading back down the hall to the bedroom. He came back out moments later in a pair of pajama pants and a oversized t-shirt on probably 3 sizes to big. With a shirt folded over his arm and holding Kumagoro by the paw in the other, he looked like a little child ready for bed. "Here." He tossed the shirt at him, watching as he merely blinked and then huffed like a small child, reaching back with the plushie. "Kumagoro Beam!" He cried pelting the boy in the head with the stuffed animal. "That's for looking like such worry-wart. You gotta be hungry. So let's order pizza!"

With that childlike innocence of his, he pounced the phone on the couch, dialed in a few buttons and waited for an answer. "What do you like on your pizza Tatsuha?"

The young priest got up, holding the rabbit in his arms and setting him down on the table as he slipped on the shirt. It was a little tight in the shoulders and the arms weren't long enough but it would suffice for now as long as he didn't do up the buttons on it. "It doesn't matter, I'll eat anything."

"Kay kay!" He cried, waiting as someone picked up, and then ordered so much food it would be impossible to eat it all in one night. It was to be delivered to the front desk and someone from the building would bring it up personally. While they waited, Ryu ran through his video games, finding something they could play, one of Kumagoro's ears hanging between his teeth.

"So do you even need to eat food?" Tatsuha asked as the game booted up, curiosity getting the better of him.

"I can…it's not a necessity…I get an upset stomach if I eat to much human food." He said, pouting at the playstation2, which was refusing to load the game.

"So you just live off blood…? How exactly?" He continued, crashing down on the couch. He still couldn't partially believe he was having this conversation with him, but after some of the things he's seen he wasn't sure even this surprised him.

"Well, I find a target, put them under a spell, drink as much as I can without endangering the victim, then go my separate ways. In the past twenty years, I think…yep, you're the only one I think I've picked ahead of time as a target and let them know about it. I'd like to keep you as food…you're very yummy."

Something about the way that was said made Tatsuha blink, and he could feel the oncoming nosebleed. Putting the back of his hand to cover his face he went to excuse himself and Ryu was right there next to him, pushing aside his hand to lick at his nose before giving a very childish giggle. "You've got such a dirty mind Tatsuha."

"Me!" But something about that made it seem like he knew more then he was letting on and the boy found himself blushing slightly again. Ryuichi winked, going back to the task of getting the playstation to work and threatening it with a Kumagoro Beam attack. He could go from being such an innocent little thing to being a predatory animal in seconds…Tatsuha was starting to see why he was so serious on stage…he had the nature built instinctually into him when he really wanted to put his heart and mind into it.

So after fidgeting with the console (and two kumagoro beams later) they got it up and running just in time for food to arrive. Tatsuha's stomach was a little upset and although he devoured half a pizza on his own, he was aware that Ryu didn't have more then a quarter of a slice of pizza to eat himself.

It wasn't surprising, or maybe Tatsuha just sucked, but Ryuichi was phenomenal at the fighting game they were playing. No matter which character he used, he was whooping the boy's ass and after over an hour of consecutive defeats he conceded, leaning back onto the couch. His stomach would not settle and he wasn't exactly sure why, but he just wasn't feeling all that good.

Ryu was watching him worriedly with big blue eyes from his spot on the floor and it made the young priest smile. "Perhaps if you came and set up here with me Sakuma-san, I'd feel better." It had been a while since he had tried his charm on the oblivious, and everything had just been so chaotic in the last twenty-four hours he hadn't had the time to really attempt it.

There was a bat of those cerulean orbs and then he got up from where he was sitting, turning the playstation off and grabbing the remote in the process. "Okay." He complied, coming to sit next to him on the couch. "Are you sure you'll be alright? Maybe you should-"

A tug on his arm sent him into the other's lap, those ocean blue eyes widening as he put a hand on the bare torso to balance himself. "Tatsu-"

"Now I feel MUCH better." He snickered softly, closing those charcoal gray eyes and smiling lightly. Ryuichi was so gullible…even if he could read his mind he still gave in cluelessly.

Ryu let out a soft breath, those eyes closing after a moment too, leaning his forehead against the other's broad chest. "If this will make you feel better…" He gave in softly. He curled up on top of him, cuddling Kumagoro against his own chest. "And I told you to stop calling me that."

"Heh…" Was all that escaped him, listening in to the quiet living room. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest, though there seemed to be an echo of it throughout him, an aftereffect of it. It took a few moments but he realized that that was Ryuichi's heartbeat he heard drumming along right after his, he could feel the fluctuation of against his bare chest. "I could die right now and be perfectly happy."

"You won't be dying any time soon, not while I'm around." Ryu murmured, his face beat red underneath the long chocolate brown bangs. Here he was, wanting Tatsuha close, now he could feel all of him right at his touch and he was getting all embarrassed…he was food and yet he was special. There was something about him that made the vampire just feel so good when he was with him.

"Hmmm…." He replied, his head leaning against the couch, long raven bangs falling into his face. Those dark eyes closed contently and even though his body was reacting and his mind and heart were racing, he was satisfied. The last couple of days had seemed so fucked up and now…now things looked like they were finally going to be okay, even if he was still awed with having Ryu in his life.

They laid there for a long time like that, not saying anything to each other, and Ryu was struggling with his own thought, clutching Kumagoro up against them both. "Tatsuha, I…the reason I came back just wasn't because of the movie, or because I wanted to sing. I…I wanted to see you. I'm sorry that I messed things up so badly for you, I…"

He lifted his head, cerulean eyes on the verge of tears, blinking when he didn't get any sort of response and realizing his eyes were closed. "Tatsuha…?" He said again, blinking and yet again no response. His mind was not correctly functioning either, but Ryu hadn't thought to check on it until he realized and he smiled softly. He had passed out again…poor guy. He'd had it rough the last couple of days.

Knowing that, the idol curled up with the plushie against him, turning off the TV and dropping the remote on the floor. He wouldn't sleep until morning, but he could lie there all night, listening to the blood rushing through the other man's body, and the heartbeat that resounded with his own like its own bonded melody.

**Chapter Two End**

Author's Notes: Okay, I didn't cover half as much as I wanted to, but oh well….things don't always go as they're planned. This looked like a good stopping point to me, so I'll start chapter three from here. So we have a concert coming up, but as we've learned with Shu, Ryu's spaztastic idea out of nowhere wont be without its own minor consequences. Tatsuha's still stuck in a daze he don't know he'll ever come out of, but he's mostly concerned about this new relationship with Ryu. Draining his blood is cool and all, but is he just leading him on for nothing? Tatsuha's self control may be stressed, and sooner then we think! Until I write again!

Sora Tokumi Kazuma


	3. Chapter 3

Idol of Song, Creature of Night 

Gravitation

Date Started: July 1, 2006

Sora Kazuma

**Chapter Three: Lost**

Tatsuha's charcoal gray eyes were still dazed, not from his condition but rather from the almost decimating wave of happiness that was washing through him now that he had gotten himself back into decent health. He had laid on the couch all night with the very object of his affection in his arms, slept deeply through the morning until late afternoon was yet again approaching on them and was awakened with the stirring of the warm body cuddled against his.

Those steel eyes batted open sleepily, looking down at the small body cradled against his own, that long chocolate brown hair spilling over the man's broad shoulders and down his back. All at once realization struck him and his body tensed…the effect of having this particular body pressed against his was awakening a fierce reaction, one that was causing him to act a little awkwardly in response.

At the shifting of his nice warm pillow, the man let out a quiet yawn, nuzzling his cheek against the soft bare muscle of the boy's exposed chest. He was unaware of the subtle provoking he was causing as he stretched out, his lean body working out the kinks from an entire day of rest. His senses were kicking in, his hearing picking up the racing heartbeat of his protector and it made his tongues sweep across his teeth in eager response. His stomach gave a lurch, reminding him that it had been over a day since he had eaten and that he was restlessly aching inside for a hot meal.

Cerulean eyes swept open underneath long delicate eyelashes, looking up into that dark handsome face. Hues of cobalt and cornflower collided and brightened as they locked with those raven orbs and he gave a small warm smile. "Mmmm….good morning Tatsuha."

"Sakuma…" The young priest was at a loss of what to say, shocked with such a cool sensual look from his beloved. His heart skipped a beat and his body throbbed hotly. He flashed a small grin, a hand lifting from the blanket wrapped around them to gently caress along the singer's jaw, determined to hold that gaze for as long as he could. Dark lashes fluttered closed and he leaned down, giving a ginger kiss to those tempting pale lips. "Good morning." He whispered, his breath hot on that baby-soft skin.

The second their lips touched, Ryuichi's sapphire eyes went the size of saucers, wavering back and forth at such a notion, and something hard and powerful slammed through his very body, causing his lithe form to tremble. A faint glow of a blush stained his golden tan cheeks and he let out a shivering breath at the lingering touch imprinted against his face. His stomach rumbled and it only furthered this strange mixed up emotion. "Tatsuha, I'm…I'm hungry…" He whimpered, looking up into those dark eyes.

That flushed face and pleading look was not helping the boy's current condition…it was only steadily making it worse. There was a boundary that he knew he was going to have to cross, that he felt he needed to strain, because here he was lying on the couch with his god cuddled on top of him like this…it was perfect. He smiled at him, trying his best to stay calm when chaotic control and crazy desire were fighting one another. "If that's what you want, then take what you need Sakuma-san. I'd give you anything."

Those wavering blue eyes were suddenly tear-bound. "Tatsuha…" He whined affectionately, grateful for his understanding. He could feel his emotions radiating and circulating through him and the vampire was trying his best to avoid them, avoid having to think of them. It would be unfair to delve into his mind at such a confused state and he was almost afraid of what he would find there. So he hid his face against the boy's neck, the racing pulse echoing through his ears and resounding with his own strained heart. He was close enough to touch the skin, mere centimeters from sweet nourishment-

-When the phone went off on the coffee table beside the couch.

Both of them flinched, Ryu jerking away in utter embarrassment of being caught so off guard, but the shrill ring echoed through the heavy silence and nearly tore such an intimate moment in two.

Red-faced and clutching Kumagoro in his arm, Ryu grabbed for the phone, quickly answering it and climbing off the warm body he had come to like being so close to. Tatsuha tilted his head, watching as the young superstar answered the cell with a very blank "Helllo?" turning to pace back and forth. Raven eyes watched underneath onyx bangs, admiring that lean body in front of him, following his every movement as he stalked in a five foot line over and over again.

The furrowed dark brow suddenly lifted and he returned to the ever happy form of a little kid. "TOHMA! IT WAS YOU!" He cried into the phone, bright cobalt eyes shining. He blinked and then tilted his head questioningly. "What do you mean we had a rehearsal tonight? I'm at home. Tatsuha and I just woke up."

The boy blinked, a little taken back at the forwardness that was used to talk to the NG president. Saying it like that, they really did sound like lovers. The thought made Tatsuha's heart ache inside.

The reaction was so strong that Ryu felt it, and he blushed slightly, turning his back on the young priest. "Okie dokie then, we'll be there. Bye-bye now Tohma!" He called into the phone before hanging up, and when he turned to look at the boy, all sign of embarrassment was gone. "Do you wanna go to a Nittle Grasper concert rehearsal Tatsuha?" He asked as if he was trying to bribe a little kid with the treat.

Those raven eyes widened and suddenly, the awkward teen was replaced by his fanatic over-obsessive side. "Would I ever! You'd really take me with you, Sakuma-san!"

"Course I would! Come on, let's get you up and ready, right Kumagoro-kun?" He said, looking at the pink plushie affectionately. "Would you like to take a shower, or should I just get you your shirt?" He said, racing back down the hall.

To excited to sit still, he got dressed quickly and rushed with the superstar out of the building, taking the car that had been waiting for them and arriving at NG's head studios within a few moments.

One of the sound rooms had been reserved especially for this and while it was made like a small auditorium it was the perfect layout for the stage that they would be using in Yoyogi park. Ryu had left Kumagoro in Tatsuha's faithful care while he reunited with his bandmates and the young priest had found a seat high up on the back where he could look down on the entire room and the band below. It was almost to much to bear…here he was at a private rehearsal session watching Nittle Grasper, and then the events of the evening as it was…it was almost to much to bare. And so here the teen sat, lost in his own world in the wave of overwhelming happiness that had emerged since right after Ryuichi had come flooding back into his life.

"This is to much…" Tatsuha murmured, the pink plushie sitting in his lap. One arm had wrapped protectively around the bunny, not about to let it slip out of his reach for anything. He could easily pick out Ryuichi on stage…the hyper-active ball of energy had pounced Ukai Noriko the second she had arrived on the set to make sure her keyboard was all in working order. His blonde-headed brother-in-law was doing a sound check on his keyboard as well, talking to the stage crew who were shifting around the area to check speakers and cables for the slightest malfunction.

"Out of all the people in this world, I've practically gotten to spend an entire weekend with Sakuma-san…in his private apartment no less." The boy let out a girlish romantic sigh, collapsing backwards into the chair.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! NITTLE GRASPER IS GOING TO BE PERFORMING AGAIN!" Suddenly the backdoor to the auditorium was slammed open and Bad Luck's lead singer stood there, amethyst eyes shining and practically glowing with a crimson aura as he watched in awe at the auditorium below. Behind him were his bandmates, the long red-haired man trying to tug his friend back through the door while their keyboardist stood there silently fuming.

Tatsuha blinked, fully recognizing that voice before he'd even seen the cute young man's explosive entrance. He gave a small smile at him, knowing he was sitting close enough nearby to be heard. "Yo."

Those violet eyes blinked and Shuichi turned his head slightly, beaming as he recognized his lover's little brother. "Tatsuha! Hey." He grinned. "I'll be okay now Hiro. Do you think you and Fujisaki could give me a few minutes?"

"You better ONLY be a few minutes. We have work to do." Suguru spoke up before Hiro could get a word in, turning his back on his teammates to stalk off irritably. No doubt he'd been dragged there against his will.

"We'll see you back in the studio Shu. You better return before K comes looking for you." Hiroshi persisted, but let his hold on his friend and the door go, leaving the two alone in the upper tier of the auditorium.

Shuichi nodded, coming into the seats and dropping in the chair next to the boy. "How've you been? I heard you collapsed the other night. Are you okay?"

Those dark eyes blinked, a little taken back that he knew anything at all, but he just smiled arrogantly, brushing it off as nothing. He wasn't about to tell him about what had really been going on, but he didn't want to worry him either. "I've been fine. Sakuma-san has been letting me stay at his place." He said with that haughty tone to his voice.

"I hate you! You're so lucky!" Shuichi whined, purple eyes getting all teary. "I'd love to stay at Sakuma-san's house! Is it cool? What's it like?"

"Well, it's a really nice place…not nearly what I was expecting. There's-" His voice was cut short by the sound of the mic coming on and Ryuichi's voice resounding through it.

"This thing on?" He inquired the staff, earplugs in his one ear and a head set clipped around the other, one hand on the mic stand. Big blue eyes blinked wide at the repeat of his words through the speakers and he grinned. "Yay! Alright, let's do this!"

Those dark eyes were fixed on the man on stage, dressed in a pair of straight-legged jeans and a baggy white designer t-shirt, chocolate hair swept back by a blue headband that allowed the layers of hair to cascade across his cheeks. The music started, flaring up across the speakers and filling the entire area with the pulse of the rhythm.

"Shining Collection!" Tatsuha and Shuichi exclaimed at the same time, instantly recognizing the song, Shu's violet eyes wavering horribly at the significance the lyrics to this melody were to him. While one of the most fast-paced songs Nittle Grasper had worked on to date, it was also the only single that had been co-produced with Bad Luck as the lyrics themselves had been written by Eiri Yuki himself.

"Does this mean Sakuma-san and I get to sing together again? That would be so cool!" All at once Shuichi was a fangirl, fawning over the band in front of him. "Sakuma-san you're just so-"

"Beautiful." Tatsuha spoke up, finishing the sentence for him. Shuichi blinked up at the boy, startled by such a response, but Tatsuha only gave a very childish smile back in response, those raven eyes growing soft.

"Tatsuha…you haven't been your crazy energetic self about Sakuma-san." The singer looked up at him. "Have your feelings changed?"

"What?" Those dark eyes widened, startled by that. It was true he wasn't acting so ecstatic…so desperate…but he was still high-strung and inspired as he ever was. So much had happened the last couple of days…his mind was in turmoil. Still the fact that the boy would even think that infuriated him. "What the hell made you think of that! I love Sakuma, and don't you ever forget it brat." He growled and for a second, Shuichi nearly saw a spark of Eiri in him.

"I-I didn't mean it like that…" He replied quickly, taken back by the likeness…they were almost identical in build, but it was not usually in personality too. "And don't call me brat!" He hissed. "I was just asking…because I'm worried…."

The young priest huffed, getting that sulky look again and reverting back to the immature personality he usually harbored. "I'm fine. I just…things have happened and it makes me wonder. I want to know how Sakuma feels about me. He seems to care about me, but…the situation's complicated." It wasn't the first time Tatsuha had spilled his problems to his Shuichi. Normally it was the energetic pink-haired ball of energy that was crying over his relationship with Eiri, but every time the teen was in town they would always get together to talk and it came at no surprise that he felt comfortable with at least talking a little bit about the situation he had gotten himself stuck in.

He loved Ryuichi Sakuma heart and soul, and he knew it. He had always known it. He would willingly do anything he asked, give him anything he wanted. He wasn't even concerned with the vampire biting and blood-sucking thing…if it was something that Ryu had asked of him, he would comply whole-heartedly. He ached for him, and finally he had him in his arms, in his sight…the last twenty-four hours had been bliss. If he was dreaming, he would rather stay in this twisted illusion then return to what it was before. Still Ryuichi was surprisingly shy around him at the thought of being close, or at least it seemed that way. There was no way it could be his first relationship and yet…maybe that innocent naïve side wasn't just his planned front.

Shuichi watched the boy, able to understand what he meant by those words and knowing the truth under all of this, but not allowed to say a word. He promised Eiri that he wouldn't let on that he knew, but Tatsuha just seemed so lost. Shu had never had the problem that his friend possessed now.

"I just don't know. Somehow, I feel like I'm just being used. And normally I wouldn't care, but this time…it hurts." His other arm wrapped around the plush, hugging it back against his chest childishly. The roaring thrill of Shining Collection faded, phasing into the slow melodious beat of Predilection.

Ryuichi had been so into the music, he hadn't realized Shuichi's arrival in the back row…it had been a long time since he had gotten up on stage to sing and the familiarity of the sound, the rush through his veins was enough to drown everything else out. It wasn't until Tatsuha's voice dropped in level that his mind started consciously picking up his thoughts, holding onto that deep tone as it tried to find the right thing to say. _'I feel like I'm being used…'_ The words were like a blow to the idol's face and he flinched on the inside. So that was how he felt in the end. With all the confusion he had sensed this afternoon, Tatsuha believed he was just some sort of food source to him and nothing more. The thought tore at his heart.

"Ryu?" It was Tohma's voice radiating in his ear. The encore was over and yet the singer was still dead silent, frozen at the mic. In all of his years, Tohma had never seen his friend miss a cue. "Ryu are you alright?"

"Cut the music." He ordered softly, and his fingers let go of the stand, not realizing his grip had tightened around the cold metal staff until he got a glimpse of his white knuckles.

The blonde nodded, teal-eyes wide as the auditorium suddenly went quiet. He took out the earplugs, stepping away from the keyboard with the most worried of looks. "Ryu-"

"Tohma!" Their lead singer cut him off, spinning around to look at him and turning his back on the couple who were just as amazed at the silence as his two bandmates. Those cerulean eyes were wavering, and his friend furrowed his brows in response. "If…If I try really hard, can I sing a new song, Tohma?"

Blue-green orbs blinked, taken back by that and even Noriko tilted her head. "What brought this on?" She asked curiously.

"Because I want to!" Was all Ryu managed to respond, and it was evident he was close to tears. "Tohma, please!"

"If that's what you want to do." NG's president smiled, closing his eyes and giving a calm answer as always.

Ryu beamed at him, his eyes were all teary. "Thank you so much Tohma. Give me a few minutes will you?" He said, and dashed off the stage into the back. If there was something he could do, to tell him how he felt…

"Did something happen to Sakuma-san!" Shuichi asked, violet eyes wide. Tatsuha had started out of the chair the second he had run off, Kumagoro in his arms.

"I'll be right back!" He cried, racing down the steps toward the stage, dark eyes on the side door that would put him out in front of the backstage area. Ignoring Tohma's sharp call of his name, he busted through the door, turned sharply to the right and headed down the hall, passing through a number of questioning and curious personnel.

He turned the corner and there was the entrance to the stage…so he had managed to come all the way around the back anyways. Turning another corner down the maze of hallways he found what he was looking for leaned against the wall with his head tilted back to avoid tears from slipping down his face. "Sakuma-san…."

Those big bright blue eyes opened, looked up at him as they stood there frozen, just staring at one another. Then all at once Ryu sniffed and he silently went running into Tatsuha's arms, tears slipping down his cheeks. "I'm sorry!" He. exclaimed, face buried into the boy's shirt.

Those dark eyes widened. "What for? Sakuma-san…what has you so upset?"

"I didn't mean to make you feel that way…you don't hate me now, do you?" He whimpered, big blue eyes looking up at him worriedly.

Tatsuha had thought it was impossible for him to have heard, but if he had somehow been listening into their conversation… "How could I possibly hate you? It's fine." He smiled down at him, feeling a little guilt for saying such things outloud. He wrapped one arm around the boy's shoulders, the other still securely holding onto Kumagoro which was sandwiched in between them.

"I'm glad!" The vampire replied meekly, breathing in the scent of sweat and blood that wafted from the boy's skin, only further jarring his stomach to rumble in anticipation. The desire to quench his hunger was becoming more and more difficult, the closer he was to him. Embarrassed of his own impulsive thoughts, he hid away against the teen's chest.

"Ryuichi." It was Tohma who came around the corner, interrupting the cute moment for what it was as he stopped at the beginning of the hallway, watching them with his arms crossed over his chest. "Why don't you take a break for the evening? You don't seem to be in the best mood to continue with the rehearsal."

"Are you sure Tohma?" He turned, teary blue eyes watching his friend. He had not thought he would become so distracted by something so simple like this…it was almost scary.

The blonde nodded, smiling that patient warm smile. "Quite sure. Go tell Noriko you'll be leaving for the night. We'll see you tomorrow."

The singer was ecstatic at the news. "Thank you so much!" He beamed, looking up into those dark eyes. "Wait right here Tatsuha, I'll be right back!" He called, dashing off further into the area. Raven eyes watched after him until he turned a corner and disappeared out of view.

"He can be quite a handful, can't he?"

The voice cut through the young priest's thoughts, swiftly returning his attention to the blonde. "Seguchi-san…" He said, a little taken off guard he was still there. "N-No, Sakuma-san isn't. I'm thrilled just to spend time with him."

That bright smile was back again. "I'm glad to hear you say that Tatsuha. After all the trouble Ryuichi went through just to get to spend time with you…"

That was a bit of a shock, at least to the ears of Nittle Grasper's biggest fan. "What…? He…really, he did?"

Those teal eyes looked up at him, unnerving, unflinching, fixed on those dark orbs. "I'm only allowing this because it was Ryuichi who insisted on it. There is a lot that you don't know about my dear friend. Just keep in mind that if you become a problem I will have no choice but to take serious action myself."

"W-What!" Tatsuha gaped, raven eyes widening. "I would never do anything to harm Sakuma-san! Nittle Grasper is my life, there would be no way I could live with myself if I did something that would upset my idol!"

Tohma batted blonde lashes, letting out a very childish laugh. "My goodness, I was expecting a response similar to Eiri, but after that, the only one I can think of is Shindou-kun!"

"Don't compare me to that crazy pink-haired monkey." The boy huffed, though he knew he was acting like a little kid himself.

"WAAAH! Noriko, I'm sorry!" Ryuichi appeared around the corner with the female keyboardist right on his tail. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"You're not getting away so easy Ryu! How could you possibly ditch us to go home to your hot Japanese boytoy! I love getting some as much as the next girl but-" By the time she came around the corner Ryu had firmly latched his arms around Tatsuha's small waist, half hiding behind the tall gorgeous Asian. Those copper-brown eyes blinked in surprise and she blushed slightly, clearing her throat.

Tohma was beaming that playful boyish smile again. "It's alright Noriko. I was the one who told Ryuichi it was okay to go. He'll just have to meet us bright and early tomorrow afternoon."

"You want me to get up that early?" He whined, and Tatsuha raised an eyebrow in response. So it was evident his bandmates knew that Ryu had circumstances that kept him from spending too much time outside in the daylight. Then again, why wouldn't they? He had spent most of his life with these people.

"We'll see you tomorrow afternoon Ryu. Have a good night you two." Tohma replied, nothing more and nothing less shown or hidden in his smile.

--

There was the sound of the water cascading down off the boy's body, resounding in the ivory bottom of the tub as he leaned with his head under the showerhead, long locks of onyx hair plastered to his handsome face, dark eyes closed. His two arms were holding him up, palms pressed against the cold tile which was quickly heating up from the humid warmth of the shower. For a long moment it could have been thought that he had fallen asleep in such an odd position, but against the echoing drone of the water he let out an audible sigh.

The last few days had been hazy, like a dream, paradise in his eyes, but they couldn't stay like this. There was too much uncertainty and to much pressure on it all. Ryuichi had told him he wanted him to stay. That he was his and that he wouldn't let him go. But he was to shy and timid around him, nothing more then a child in his arms. The boy had always thought it was just a front, that the real Ryuichi was the way he was on stage, powerful, fierce, deadly even…but when Tatsuha reached for him, he almost acted frightened. When it came to his powers, the beast came out to play, but anything intimate and he shied away completely. Despite himself, he felt uncomfortable here, almost as if he was being kept prisoner. Desire ran rampant through him, curiosity and lust embedded in his heart but it was restrained by the words of others and by his own concern for the beautiful idol.

"Tatsu-ha!" The door to the bathroom opened and the bare torso of Ryuichi poked in, long dark hair swishing behind him. "Hey are you hungry? You can have anything you want to eat!"

Raven eyes blinked open and he tugged at the shower curtain, not really paying attention to how much of himself he was exposing as he tried to hear the random questions out of nowhere. "Huh? What'd you say Sakuma-san?"

Bright cerulean eyes widened and a hot flush spread across his cheeks. He averted his glance, leaning on the doorway. "Are you hungry or anything Tatsuha?" He repeated, this time with a little less bounce in his voice.

The boy stood there for a second staring back at him. There had been an obvious reaction to seeing him mostly naked and yet again, he had gotten timid, not like him at all. Watching him hold onto the door frame, like a frightened child, he let out a sigh. Dark eyes were entrapped with the lean body, the baggy plaid pajama pants barely hanging on his small hips and the wild loose chocolate hair that framed his face and made his big blue eyes stand out even more. It was right infront of him and yet…

The hand on the shower curtain yanked it completely open, climbing out of the tub and not bothering to grab the towel there on the rail nor turn off the hot water. "Tatsuha?" Ryu inquired, his gaze jerking back on the boy the second he made a move. The crimson flush didn't deepen or fade, staying a pale crimson on those golden cheeks.

One hand grabbed the doorframe above the man's head, almost pinning him back against it. "This isn't like you Sakuma-san! You were never like this before. Are you afraid of me?" Those eyes yet again averted his glance, and Tatsuha's already stressed nerves took another stab. His other hand grabbed his jaw, forcing that sapphire gaze back up to look at him. "What have I done?" He asked softly at the sight of those teary eyes.

"You…haven't done anything! It's all me. It's my fault! Tatsuha!" He cried, and all at once nimble fingers wrapped around his back, collapsing against his chest.

The teen was so lost by this that he lost his nerve and with it, his sudden anger. Skin against skin, his body was becoming alive with raw need as he held the man up against him, feeling his lean body tremble on the verge of tears. Forcing the boy to back against the wall inside the spacious bathroom, he resumed his hold on his chin, tilting his head up so that he could capture his lips with his own. Bright blue eyes widened in shock, the other hand grabbing his wrist and intertwining with his fingers to avoid him pulling away, but Ryu was too surprised to fight back. A tongue pushed at his lips, prying its way into his mouth and Ryu gave a soft shudder, unconsciously squeezing the fingers in his grasp. He could feel Tatsuha's warm body pressed against his, warm flesh caressing his, the rush of blood pounding in the young boy's veins and his thoughts….

There were in such disarray he couldn't get a true feel for what was happening within him, only that he was worried and concerned, pulled in different directions by the people around him and tortured by his own feelings of lust. Ryuichi had done this to him and he knew it, but he… all that he wanted was…

A sharp pang in his stomach recalled his starving need to feed and he turned, trying to get out on the assault on his mouth. The hand left his jaw, grabbing at his waist and yanking at the drawstring-tied cotton pants, a hard throbbing bulge pressing into his thigh. All at once, the freed hand found the square of Tatsuha's bare chest and he pushed him back with more force then the boy should be able to muster. On the slick tile floor he lost his footing and fell backward onto his butt, dark eyes looking up at him surprised.

_'I feel like I'm being used…'_ The words still stung as Ryu thought of them. His cerulean eyes were watching Tatsuha seriously, his nerve shaken. "What did you think you were doing!"

The boy only looked away, ashamed for acting that way. His hand clutched into a fist and he gritted his teeth. "I'm sorry. But it's just too much of a tease to be with you and then hold my control back the second I reach to touch you and you become shy. I want you so badly…and I know you want me too."

"You're nothing but food to me." Ryuichi snapped back, cerulean eyes narrowing like they had the other night, becoming the eyes of a demon and not of the cuddly boy he had been beforehand.

"So that's how it is." Tatsuha snapped back, picking himself up off the floor and looking down at him as if trying to use his impressive height to intimidate him. "Fine." He swept past him and out of the bathroom, not bothering to fix what he had left behind. Ryu collapsed up against the wall, a hand coming up over his face to hide his teary eyes.

--

Tohma was reclining in the back of the limo after a long busy day, ready to go home to his wife and son and a comfortable bed where he could spend the rest of the night. Head tilted back against the plush seat, his calm teal eyes were closed for his five-minute break…five minutes. That's all he had had to himself all day.

As if to remind him that he was not allowed such trivial things, his cellphone went off on the small counter where his drink was sitting and without opening his eyes he grabbed for it, flipped it open and brought it to his ear. "Yes?" He asked, his voice weary as he spoke up. At the sound of the voice, a fine golden eyebrow furrowed and he opened his eyes, staring up at the ceiling of the luxurious stretch. **"I don't see what you possibly want me to do about this Mrs. O'Hallan."** It was perfect English he spoke next, his voice only mildly accented as he continued. **"I understand that, but it wasn't my choice. Mrs. Winchester has allowed it…you are taking this too personal if you ask me. I'm sorry."** And with a sigh he flipped the phone shut on her. "Ryu, would you really cause all this trouble, just for one man?"

The phone rang again, and with the same calm courtesy he answered it was the perfect polite **"Hello?"** He was half expecting it to be the stuck up American actress again, but when a deep voice just chuckled into the receiver, the man sat forward into the seat, resting his arms on his legs. "Well now, this is a surprise."

There was silence for a few and then a soft laugh. "Ryuichi is doing just fine. There have been some circumstances lately that you will want to know I'm sure, but I'll save them for later. …Broken Butterfly? Yes, they will be performing this weekend. So, you're in town for now? I see. …. All right then. I will see you tomorrow Tachibana-san."

Closing the cell phone again, there was a small smile creeping onto the blonde's childish face. "Things just took a very unexpected turn. Ryuichi, Tatsuha…I pray that he is the one for you my friend. Otherwise…he won't be alive much longer."

--

Tatsuha shrugged on his red silk shirt, buttoning up the front quickly and stalked out of the bedroom, a look so serious for a moment anyone would have thought that it was Eiri emerging from down the hall and not the young handsome priest.

Ryuichi was huddled on the couch, his arms wrapped around himself and clutching Kumagoro to him, his face hidden behind long locks of chocolate brown hair. He didn't even acknowledge the other man's presence as he came out into the living room and Tatsuha didn't even glance in his direction. The air was so thick it could have been cut by a knife and the silence was only multiplying the tension between the two men.

"I'm heading back home for a few days." The boy said finally, standing near the couch, but his dark charcoal eyes were already glancing at the door. He knew that he couldn't look at him. If he did, he was going to crumble and stay and right now he needed time to cool his head and his heart.

Ryu gave a stiff nod, not looking up. He knew he would just ask for him to stay…he was feeling miserable…he had been the one to push him away, and now that he was going, he knew it was all wrong. He was hurt by the accusations of earlier and he had now done the same thing to him. "A-Alright…" He whimpered out, still not looking at him. He swallowed and then just whined softly, though he got to his feet, looking up at Tatsuha with the rawest cerulean eyes. "You will be back for the concert, right!" He blurted out threatening to break out in tears.

Tatsuha downcasted his head, pausing for a second and then managed a weak smile. "Yeah, of course I will. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

At least there was something comforting in that. Ryu smiled brightly though he really was holding back sobs. Before he could really think on the matter, he thrust the pink rabbit plushie in his arms against Tatsuha's chest. "Here. Take Kumagoro with you! He will keep you company while you're gone!" He told him, biting at his lower lip.

The boy was in shock. Here he was, getting to take care of Ryuichi's beloved plushie while he was gone….his idol had left the toy in his care. The fanboy inside of him was going crazy, but he was still a little to upset to show it. He smiled back, reaching out to ruffle that long shaggy chocolate brown mane of hair. "I'll take good care of him. And I'll see you in a little while Sakuma-san." He turned away, those dark charcoal eyes closing and he focused on the door, heading toward it and slamming it behind him as he could, forcing himself to run to put the distance between them. His heart was screaming at him for acting this way, for being so selfish, so childish, but he didn't know any other way to be. He had never gone through any of this before and it was slowly killing him.

Ryu had blinked, and he had taken a step forward, reaching for him almost instinctly as the door slammed. "Tatsuha…" It took a second, but he dashed across the living room, through open the balcony door and stepped outside.

It was raining heavily, pouring buckets down across the city and the rumble in the sky threatened to only get worse. Peering over the high rail he watched the front of the building, saw the taxis that were parked outfront, waiting for clients to come out of the hotel and saw the one that Tatsuha had gotten into. It stalled for a few seconds and then drove off, mixing with the others on the street at this hour. Those cerulean eyes watched the tail lights until they were out of distance, his long dark hair plastering to his face, the thin clothing clinging to his body, soaked to the body and not aware of it at all. The tears running down his cheeks had only mixed with the cold trickles of rainwater, leaving nothing behind in the downpour.

The man slumped on the railing, his arms folded over the cold metal as the glow of the car lights faded out of the distance. He was weak, he was hungry and he was heartbroken. Nothing had ever hurt like this. He wanted to know why he had said something like that. Why he had drove him away…he had hit the boy's weak spot on purpose, to avoid being hurt himself. And yet here he was, willing to sacrifice everything for the boy. "My entire existence is hypocritical isn't it Tatsuha?" He smiled softly, slumping against the concrete wall. He would be content if the banister went out and he fell the ten stories to his doom.

"_Lost my heart…"_ He started singing softly, those ocean blue eyes closed, and a hauntingly slow melody escaped from his mouth. "_Nani o suttee…slow in you…nani o kataru…just complex…omae dake no kokoro mune ni hoshikute…Tatsuha…"_

--

Eiri was not the happiest person when the doorbell constantly went off at quarter to one in the morning, and before he was rampaging around the house naked, Shuichi was up, at least partially clothed and heading towards the door. "I wonder who-" He was half talking to his blonde-haired lover who had managed to grab a beer to at least shackle his temper as he answered the door. Those violet eyes blinked, looking up at the tall handsome boy standing in the doorway, completely drenched and holding the legendary Kumagoro in his arms. "Tatsuha?"

The boy lifted his head slowly, not registering that it was Shu he saw there…in his head everything was Ryuichi at the moment. "Sakuma-san, I'm sorry! Will you ever forgive me!" He cried, pouncing Shuichi to the floor, which sent the small lean boy sprawling backward at least five feet into the living room area.

"TATSUHA!" Shuichi cried, trying to get out of the clutches of the crazed fanboy. "TATSUHA, I'M NOT SAKUMA-SAN!" He exclaimed, not taking to being cuddled and nuzzled by the teen at all…it was a bit creepy for him.

And of course Yuki-sama was like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode…the stress marks just kept multiplying. "Where's your fucking manager when I need a god damn gun?" He muttered, walking over and kicking Tatsuha square in the head. The boy flew backward a good five feet into the apartment door, succeeding on slamming it shut before the rain was soaking the floor. "Keep your hands off bitch."

Once he had some sense knocked into him (and could see straight again) he looked up and saw the pink-haired singer for who he was. "Shuichi..? Bro?" He blinked, rubbing the back of his head. "What the hell was that for?"

Meanwhile Shu was now clinging to Eiri like Tatsuha was some monstrous animal. "He's scary…"

"Get the hell up off the floor." Eiri ordered, taking a pack of cigarettes out of the pocket of his white shirt, which was thrown on and not even buttoned up, and long enough to almost hide the fact he was just wearing boxers underneath. "What could you possibly want at this hour? It better be good."

"Well, I…I was going to head back to Kyoto for a few days. And my bike is here…but it's raining to badly to go anywhere, so I figured…" He replied, getting up and picking up Kumagoro who had gotten thrown when he was assaulted by his older brother.

"You're going back to Kyoto?" Shu blinked and his hold on his lover went slack, standing on his own two feet again. "Why? You're not staying for the concert?"

"I might be back for it…I'm not sure yet. Sakuma-san and I…aren't getting along really well right now." He said, letting those long dark bangs cover his eyes.

Eiri lit his cigarette, exhaling a wisp of smoke. "And that's OUR problem?" He snapped, in the same cold unrelenting tone as ever. "If things aren't going well with Sakuma what the hell do you want us to do about it? You got yourself in this mess, you get yourself out."

"Yuki!" Shuichi hissed, looking over at him with those big violet eyes. Already he was pitying the two and Eiri was being typical Eiri.

"I know that it's not your problem…you're as cold as ever Bro." He stood up, giving a small nod of his head. Though his brother was right. It was nothing he could talk about with them because they wouldn't possibly understand what he was going through. "Anyway, I'll be going. I didn't mean to disturb you all." He opened the door, heading back out. It was pouring as hard as ever, but Tatsuha would have to manage on his own. Because he couldn't get by depending on someone else to coddle him.

"Tatsuha!" Shuichi started after him, and Eiri grabbed his shoulder.

"You go after him and I'm locking you out. I have a deadline to finish and you're temper tantrums are not welcome here." He told him sternly.

"Fuck off." Shuichi snapped back, as annoyed with Yuki as Yuki was about the entire situation. He jerked free of his grasp, running to the door and keeping half his body between the doorframe so he wasn't locked out. He knew he was going to spend the next twenty-four hours sitting and pleading in front of the study door because Eiri was going to bury himself in his work to sulk and finally an argument would ensue, but the makeup sex would be worth it. "Tatsuha!"

The boy blinked, turning around to look at the other. He was hugging Kumagoro to him with one arm and he looked like he would start crying any minute under those long damp onyx bangs.

Shu's heart went out to him, because he had been in the same situation many times. "I hope everything works out for you two. Sakuma-san really does think of you a lot. Call us and let us know when you get back to Kyoto and keep me posted with what's going on alright?"

Tatsuha smiled. Shuichi was so feminine he really did worry like a little girl. But he was also a sweet, nice guy, and even if he was crazy and obsessive, he did everything whole-heartedly. He was a good friend. "Thanks Shu. I'll call you when I get home. And tell Bro thanks for the advice."

Shuichi watched him go, standing in the doorway. He listened to the study door slam shut just as he had predicted and stared out into the rain. This pain was something very real he had felt before. "I was lost once too…but I didn't give up, and I found my way. It's your turn now. Sakuma-san…don't hurt him to badly."

**Chapter Three End**

Author's Notes- Chapter three was supposed to be done before Otakon 2006, but heh…I kinda got tied up in my own love affairs so it was difficult enough to try and get everything finished before I restart college! But yes chapter three is done. I went for sexy and sad…what do you guys think? You know, I'm having a difficult time deciding what the Seme/Uke pairing for this couple could be…so anybody wanna give me their opinion, I would greatly appreciate it!

For those Iceman fans (yay Iceman!) I used 'Lost Complex' because it's one of my favorite songs by them and it really fits the story, plus I saw Ryu singing it so I hoped you all liked it too.

Okay, Chapter Four! Tatsuha made it back to Kyoto (no he didn't crash…) and has been trying his best to put a tab on his feelings, but knowing that Ryu doesn't see anything in him, should he even bother continuing to chase after him? A few lessons from Shuichi could come in handy here. And Ryu has not been his normal happy bouncing self, in fact he's been slowly deteriorating from refusing to eat and the encounter with an old acquaintance only turns the twisted situation upside down again! Until I write again!


	4. Chapter 4

Idol of Song, Creature of Night 

Gravitation

Date Started: September 11, 2006

Sora Kazuma

**Chapter Four: Sunrise Promise**

Ryuichi dragged himself into NG studios around five in the evening, putting down the hood on the sleeveless hoodie he was wearing to block out the last bit of sunlight. His immune system was very strong and he could handle being out in the day for brief periods of time, but like all vampires he had a serious weakness to the light. It made him sluggish, and with barely sleeping and eating as it was, he much rather looked half-dead then undead.

Collapsing backwards in a chair, he slouched, resting his arms on the back of the chair and hanging his head. It was needless to say that the atmosphere of the room changed drastically, those who were nearby feeling as if they had kicked a puppy. The normal cheerful handsome face had lost its entire spark, those ocean blue eyes all their life.

"SAKUMA-SAAAANNN!" With a loud melodious call like that it could only be Shuichi, throwing open the door and beaming broadly. Ever since the visit from Tatsuha the night before he had made it a point of today to see how the other side of the relationship was going and it was evident it was not going good.

Ryu didn't flinch, didn't move and for a minute, the boy feared him dead. "Wha? What's going on Sakuma, you look so…not you!" He densely admitted, batting his fine lashes.

Still no answer and no sign as if he was ever gonna answer. "SAKUMMMMMAAAAAA! Can you hear me?" He persisted, getting right in the boy's face.

Finally a fine chocolate brown brow furrowed in annoyance and then returned to normal, eyes returning to near-tears. "Will you keep it down Shu?" He asked finally, voice monotone.

"This isn't like you though Sakuma-san." The pink-haired singer crossed his arms over his chest, standing to full height as if it were impressive. "How bout you tell me about it?"

"Like you don't already know." He said softly. He knew Shuichi had the power to look into his mind as well, and though faint, he could smell Tatsuha's scent clinging to his body. It was obvious the boy had returned to the Yuki residence before he had left the city for good.

Shu let out a small childish giggle, but it died as it left his mouth. Things rarely got to the level where they spoke on terms of their power and position as vampires. But with the situation finally one of seriousness it was probably the best they did not turn a blind eye to it. "You need to feed." He told him matter-of-factly. One serious statement deserved another.

Ryuichi sat up straight and he merely shook his head. "Tatsuha." Was all he managed to say and his voice fell into a slight whimper as the name escaped his lips.

Despite his best efforts, Shu felt a bit jealous to that. "Tatsuha is the only one you'll drink from?" He growled. "B-But…! What about Hiro and Fujisaki and Yuki! And Ukai-san and Seguchi-san! There are several people who would do what they could to help you and you know it! You're just being selfish!" In reality it was a wonder who was being selfish.

"I…! I just want Tatsuha to understand…! I didn't mean to say it!" And all of a sudden Ryu was back in tears, arms wrapped around himself, at a loss without his pink bunny to cuddle at a time like this. "He hates me now! Because he hurt me and I hurt him back! And Shuichi you're so mean!"

"W-Wha? I'm mean?" Now Shu was on the verge of tears, having been smited by his idol. It seemed the crying fest was about to continue. "S-Sakuma-san, don't take it like that! Really, I didn't mean to be mean…" The words were getting all tied up, and Bad Luck's lead vocalist wrapped his arm around his god, trying to comfort him. He was feeling horrible for these two, who loved each other so much and did not know how to say it.

Ryu cried for a couple of long moments, really sobbing just to get out his frustration. "I'm sorry Shu…" He whined, finally stifling his sobs to wipe away his tears with his wrist.

"It's alright." He smiled, knowing a little how Hiro must have felt in the end sitting through all of his crying fits after fighting with Yuki. "It will tear you apart if you let it, but the two of you will get better, and Tatsuha will come back. He might be all you want, but you need to take care of yourself too. At this moment and time, you would bleed the boy dry trying to feed from him and you know it." He couldn't believe he of all people was giving decent advice. He had come far in his own journey with dealing with pain and pleasure of the heart that was for sure.

"Shuichi? You…" He let out a soft sigh and managed a small smile. "It seems you are better then me in a lot of ways. You know what you're talking about."

Shu blushed. "I'm not that good. I just…have had practice with my relationship with Yuki and all." He admitted sheepishly. He was not necessarily proud that he knew every little bit of what heartache was like. "Anyway, I think you need to eat. You can feed off of me. I'm done with rehearsal today and I'm going home, so I can always go hunt with Yuki later." The way he said it, it was almost like it was a date, but it was the truth. It was one of the only times the two left the house together to do something.

"Are you sure?" Ryuichi asked, but his body was already gratefully accepting the idea, his stomach rumbling in anticipation. Shuichi nodded and smiled brightly and the other felt himself reluctantly giving in. He lifted the boy's wrist to his mouth, incisors lengthening and very gently biting into his slender wrist.

Shu barely flinched, violet eyes closing for a minute before he let his shoulders slump and relaxed again. He could feel the hot breath on his skin, the lips and tongue lapping at the warm liquid pooling from the open wound to make sure for the most part this little transfusion stayed clean and the studio did not become a crimson mess. He let him continue to drink until his vision began to blur and he gently tugged on his arm. Ryu lifted his head, wiped the corner of his mouth with the side of his hand and leaned back in the chair. His cerulean eyes had regained some of their light and his strength was returning while Shuichi looked a little on the pale side, but nonetheless he was smiling.

"There. Much better." He said in all honesty, bending his hand back so that the skin was stretched and brought the wound to his lips, healing the nasty puncture marks to nothing more then faint scabs.

"Was…was Tatsuha really that upset…?" Nittle Grasper's lead singer was still there in his head, or rather, dwelling on the memories that had come flooding into his mind with the exchange of blood. No doubt he had seen how the boy was the night before and seeing him on the verge of tears clutching Kumagoro like that really made him feel even more horrible then before. "I…I have to go to him! I have to find him!"

At that the door opened and Tohma stood there, talking with a taller man who had fallen in line behind him. Teal eyes blinked at the ordeal, not quite sure what was going on but knowing something was surely up. "Oh…excuse us, were we interrupting?" The blonde asked innocently as if he were truthfully sorry when in reality he didn't care.

"Seguchi-san! N-Nothing was going on! Sakuma-san and I…" Shuichi had started, elbowing Ryu in the side, but he did not get any sort of reply. A quick scan showed utter fear in his emotions, and his body appeared frozen as he stood there, staring at the guest accompanying the NG president with wide blue eyes. "Sakuma-san…?"

He glanced back to him, noting the young man, undeniably a foreigner. He had short silver hair with long bangs and strands that fell well past the edge of his cheeks to tickle against the spotless white business shirt he was wearing. Pale green eyes the color of the ocean blinked behind a pair of thin-framed glasses and he smiled. He was easily Eiri's height if not taller and his skin tone was dark gold as if he spent all his time in the sun. A very strange individual indeed.

"YOU!" Shuichi pointed at him, violet eyes wide with disbelief. "It's Dr. What's-his-face!"

At that kind of reaction the room got very quiet. "Shuichi, what are you talking about?" Ryu said finally, glancing over at him.

"Heh…he looks like one of the guys in a yaoi book I borrowed from Sis. Creepy, that one. But he was hot…" And the lead singer was instantly drooling at the memory.

The newcomer chuckled and he smiled. "I'm flattered you would think of me in comparison." His words were sweet, but to those who knew him well it was just an outright lie. "You must be Shindou-kun."

"O-Oh! Yes sir!" The pink-haired singer nodded with a smile. He could not see what Ryu was so scared about him for. He seemed like a nice guy. He tried to scan the man's memory and found it startlingly blank, not one scrape of evidence there to cling to. It was often a defense tactic to cut one vampire off from the other but he had never seen a spell this outrageously strong. It was exactly as if his brain was locked and barred far out of reach. And that both put Shuichi at unease and impressed him.

Tohma chuckled good-naturedly despite it all. "Shindou, let me introduce you to a good friend of Nittle Grasper's. This is Tachibana Hideo of KMS Records in Los Angeles."

"Tachibana…-san! You're Japanese!" Shuichi was gaping in awe over this. There was no way this man could be Asian! He was taken over by Eiri's striking features, but this was just way too much.

"Japanese-American." He corrected. There was an accent but figuratively speaking his voice was correct and easy to follow. "My mother is from Osaka." Ah, good old Kansai dialect.

"Whether you know or not, Broken Butterfly was labeled by KMS from the states but has become such a big alternative rock band that NG has agreed to license their tour in Japan. It's going to be small, but it is what it is." Tohma was obviously pleased with this turn of events, and Shuichi knew about the new band; they had arrived yesterday to begin with rehearsal for the concert. The lead singer was a girl; in fact half the band were women. Shu was not threatened in the least and many of the other bands in session this week were smitten with the six-group ensemble from America.

"I figured you would be happy with a few new rivals Ryu." Hideo replied with the same charming smile. "I heard you finished the movie premieres early so that you could join in on the concert. You don't seem to be so lively."

"No, really, it'll be fun." Ryuichi spoke up quickly. "Things have just been complicated the last couple of days." Shuichi had never seen his idol so shaken or nervous in the presence of another person. Even Tohma furrowed an eyebrow, realizing something was wrong. He managed a bright flash of a smile just then. "Tohma…that song we were talking about…you and I will have to discuss it further this afternoon. And we should get started with rehearsal. Hideo, Shu, if you'll excuse us."

Wrapping an arm around the blonde's shoulders, he shoved him toward the door, flashing a grin back at the other two and a peace sign. Tohma was used to treatment from Ryuichi but even this was a little much.

"Honestly Ryu, what has gotten into you?" His said, pushing him off of him.

"What is HE doing here?" Those cerulean eyes narrowed as he glared at him. "And now of all times?"

"I know little more then you do." Tohma shrugged as they made it down to the end of the hall. "He simply called me last night and told me that he was going to personally be here for the concert. You don't look to happy to see your old boss." It was all rather calm still for the blonde who was only momentarily flustered by being dragged out of the room.

"I want nothing to do with that man and you know it." Ryuichi replied. "Does he know about Tatsuha? What did you tell him?"

"I told him nothing. Ryu, you act like I would betray you." He smiled that ever-soft smile. "I didn't ask you to tolerate him, and you don't have to accept him. But please don't give me any grief during the concert all right? I have a feeling Bad Luck will be enough." And that was Tohma's end of discussion with no disobedience in between. "About those song lyrics you gave me this afternoon…I expected nothing less from you. You are sure you want to do this?"

"I have to Tohma." He gave a small nod. "If I ever want to get anywhere, I have no choice."

"Alright then. I gave them to Noriko and she was inspired. We'll start putting music to them right away but I think she wants to handle this. It is much more her style then mine." The NG President smiled. "Are you feeling up to singing?"

"Let's do it." Ryu smiled back, his first true small smile of the day. "Because there's no going back."

Meanwhile Shuichi and Hideo were at a loss of what to do or say. "W-Well it was nice meeting you." The pink-haired singer started after a moment, making a beeline for the door. "Hope to-"

"Shindou-kun, it's nice to see you well." The heavy words cut him off and for a moment the boy froze in his place. "Echo would be proud."

"W-What did you just…?" He blinked his violet eyes wide, looking over his shoulder, but the man had stuck his hand sin his pockets, looking out on the sunset through the tinted windows.

"Be careful on your way home, won't you? You're tolerance for the sun must not be very high. You wouldn't want Eiri-san to worry now." He said, his back to him.

If he had read Shu's mind, the boy had no knowledge of it, no presence there to remind him that his thoughts were not his own. And he didn't know if he had found this out through someone else or not, but the words he was saying were really creepy. He didn't bother to answer, dashing out the door and slamming it shut behind him. Obviously he was dealing with one of their own, a vampire. "He really is like Dr. What's-his-face." The boy muttered, though he couldn't help but shake the fact that something was horribly wrong.

--

Speaking of things gone horribly wrong, Tatsuha had returned home and locked himself in his room and would not come out for anyone. He did not get out of bed, did not speak, did nothing, but lie there and cuddle Kumagoro. It was late evening when there was the sound of heels resounding down the hall, the door slammed open and there was Mika holding Kairu in her arms.

Charcoal gray eyes blinked and he started to get up when there was a polite high-heel to the forehead stomping his face straight through the floorboards. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!" She hissed and the toddler clapped his hands, giggling and babbling at the outward display of aggression.

Yet again Tatsuha had to pick himself up out of the floor. What was it about his family and beating the shit out of him? He raked back his long raven bangs, averting his glance. "Nothing."

"Bullshit!" She snapped and the baby chimed along with his own incessant talk. "Why aren't you out drinking?"

"Don't feel like it." He replied simply.

"Why aren't you out riding your bike?" She asked as soon as he had answered with another question.

"Don't feel like it." He repeated, this time with a little more push in his voice.

"Why aren't you out having a threesome with an ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend?" Again another question for something Tatsuha was notorious for.

"I don't feel like it!" He growled, glaring up at her. Those slate blue eyes just stared defiantly back.

"Alright then asshole, what do you want to do?" She asked, since all her ideas had obviously been denied.

"I…" His lower lip trembled and for a moment he was just quiet, before he looked up at her with teary dark eyes. "I wanna do Sakuma-san!" He cried in a whiny baby voice.

Mika staggered and finally just sat down on the floor, pushing back her chocolate brown curtain a hair. "Jesus, Tatsuha, are you still going on about this Sakuma business? I thought the two of you were buddies with benefits by this point. Where the hell is it wrong?"

The boy swallowed. How could he put this in terms his sister would understand? "Well, you see-"

"Does this have something to do with the fact that Sakuma's a vampire?"

Charcoal gray eyes blinked wide and he looked up at her, jaw nearly hitting the floor. "H-How did you know?"

"You idiot! Did you forget who I'm MARRIED to?" She huffed. "Tohma could never keep such a secret from me. I've known for years." She let go of Kairu, letting the toddler walk over to his uncle and play with the ties on Tatsuha's robes. "So what is it about this that has you all emo? Don't tell me it's the whole blood sucking thing- I figured that would be your turn-on."

"It's not that, no. But Sakuma-san told me that was all he wanted me for. Its not that he wants me…as anything more then a food source." The boy was clutching Kumagoro and his little nephew up in his arms looking like he was about to bust out into tears. "Why! Why me!"

"I think you're being to dramatic about this. You stay in Tokyo a few days and Shindou has warped your brain entirely." She sighed, running her fingers idly through her long chocolate brown hair. "Look, Sakuma-san is a busy man. Probably as busy as Tohma, if not more so. And he has taken time out of his life to spend it with you. He was trying to hold you close in what way he could." Her normal frown deepened, nibbling on her pouty lower lip softly as if debating what to say. "You know…Tohma thought he was giving you what you wanted. You wanted to be with Sakuma, and Sakuma wanted to be with you. You're supposed to be his number one fan. He figured you'd be happy to find out a little more about the man you idolized." She paused. "Sakuma is not alright in the head Tatsuha. Something happened to him to make him the way he is, and it's not just the vampire thing that has caused his split personalities."

The young priest, who had been listening quietly with only a soft whimper now and then blinked, raven eyes widening slightly at that piece of information. "Sis? Do you know something I don't?"

She looked back at him with those slate blue eyes. "It was something Tohma told me once. That he was not capable of saving anyone in his life. It was right after the incident with Kitazawa and Eiri in New York and Tohma took it pretty hard. He mentioned Sakuma and said now he had let two of his favorite people down. I don't know what happened, I did not ask details then and I haven't now, and you might be to young to remember everything that went on at that time. But maybe there was something traumatizing like that that happened to Sakuma. We've seen what such a situation can do first-hand with Eiri."

"You think someone tried to rape Sakuma-san?" He asked straight out, his deep voice devoid of all emotion. Just the thought of it was making his blood boil. If that were true, he'd track that person down and make them pay, no questions asked.

"I don't know if that was the case. But it had to be something enough to leave a scar. You have to think that there was more then one reason Tohma saw to it that that crazy American stayed with Sakuma at all times, especially when he was stationed in New York." She stood up, picking up her little child along the way who was falling asleep snuggled in Tatsuha's arms. "Or maybe I'm just making blind shots into the dark. The bottom line is, that no matter what is going on with Sakuma, you ran away from him, and you disgraced Tohma's offer in the first place. I think you should return to Tokyo and apologize for what you've done." Her haughty over demanding tone had returned. "If you're not back in town by the concert on Saturday, I'll see to it that you wish you've never been born."

And with that she turned, slamming the door behind her as she left the boy's bedroom. Tatsuha could not argue, he couldn't do much, but sit there and hold Kumagoro and let the tears fall down his face.

--

"Oooh, Ryu! That was so awesome!" Noriko giggled and fussed, her big purplish-red eyes sparkling as she pounced Nittle Grasper's lead singer. "It's sooo cute! You're really going through with this?"

Ryuichi smiled sheepishly, big blue eyes looking back over his shoulder at her. "I made up my mind. There's no going back."

"Awww, it's like you're getting married! I'm so happy for you! Can I be the maid of honor, please, please?" She mused huggling him tightly. "And Uesugi-san would look so good in a black tuxedo with that dark hair and eyes of his! And I will have to find you a dress-"

"It's merely a song Noriko." Tohma said wearing the same sheepish look Ryuichi was, amazed by her sudden burst of fangirl. It was normally not like her to be that way, and it made the blonde wonder just what in the hell she was thinking about.

"Tohma!" She retorted, spinning around and glaring at him. "This is a love declaration! It's about time our Ryu-chan has settled down and found himself a nice man!" She blushed. "And they look so good together! Mmm, talk about hot!" And they lost her to her own little world. Tohma was rather stunned. So Noriko had a yaoi-crazy side…who knew?

Ryuichi was not quite sure what his friend's babbling was all about, but it did not matter. She was happy with this song; with the decisions he had made, and as time passed and night had gotten later and later, so was he. He knew what he wanted, truly now, and he was not going to give up on it so easily. "Noriko's kinda right you know?" He said looking at Tohma with those pretty ocean blue eyes. "This song is important to me. Not just me, but it'll be important to Tatsuha too. Thank you Tohma, for what you've done for me."

Tohma stared at his best friend, the drive behind their entire band, and he watched him smile for the first time that day. It was such a bright, hopeful expression that the keyboardist found himself smiling back and he realized that in Ryu's case, all was not lost. "It's the least I could do."

It was just before midnight before practice let up, most of the staff already gone for the evening, and all the other bands having left hours before. And it was Ryu who wanted to go, done with sitting through sound tests and recordings singing the lyrics he had written down over and over again, the words already forever memorized as they resounded in his heart. With a newfound inspiration and determination, he left the others who were staring later to finish the production with the music. Putting together a song in less then a week was going to be a lot of work.

"It's late already, so I'm just going to stay until Tohma's satisfied." Noriko replied messing with the synth and turning to smile at the energetic singer.

"Mika went to visit her parents in Kyoto and she took Kairu with her. So I'm free to come and go as I please." Tohma explained, as if Mika ever shackled him in the first place. He always did what he wanted.

"Mika-san's in Kyoto?" Those cerulean eyes blinked, remembering just how far away Tatsuha was in relevance as well.

"She'll be back in a day or so. She knew I needed time to work on this piece." He smiled. "Go ahead on home Ryu. We'll see you tomorrow evening."

"Kay! Thanks guys! See you tomorrow!" He waved and hopped off the stage, dashing out the side door to the empty auditorium.

It was quiet for a moment, nothing but silence throughout the place and then Noriko let out a small giggle. "You know where he's going." She said, never looking up from the keyboard, or rather the notes she was scrawling out on a piece of paper which was sitting side by side to the new song's lyrics.

"I know." Tohma replied calmly as ever. "I have no intention of stopping him. This is his problem. All we can do is interfere when we can." He said, not glancing over to look at her either. "It's hard not to be jealous of Ryuichi. He does everything with such passion, that I know he will take this relationship in with all his heart and soul. I could never do that."

"You were never Ryu, Tohma. But that doesn't mean you aren't loved for who you are." She lifted her head, her oddly bright eyes staring over at him in all seriousness. "You love Mika-san, and you love Yuki-san, and you love Ryu and me. And we love you back. You are dwelling again. Don't do that."

Cyan eyes blinked up at her, a little taken back by that, and then he smiled that warm cheerful smile as always. "You're right. Thank you Noriko. Sometimes its hard to remember that."

--

The night was Ryuichi's playground, and he took full advantage of it. There were several vampires he knew out tonight, and he could sense their auras well. Stealthily hidden in shadow and moving from building to building unseen, he picked up a trace of Shuichi's presence that made him lift his head, quickly followed by the strong familiar scent of Yuki. So the two had gone hunting after all. It made him smile, knowing that at least Shu had gotten the night he had wanted after all.

Transformation was not outside of Ryu's powers and his favorite creature to use to fly was a small red and black bird, tiny enough to be unnoticeable and fast enough to dust anything that might happen to come after him. In the air he could move even faster then he did on ground and it was not very long before he could see most of Kyoto in view. There were still a few more hours of night left before the sun would start to rise.

The difficult part was tracking Tatsuha without letting him know he was there in his mind. To his relief, prodding the boy's senses he found he was already asleep and he breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he could follow that aura until he had found him.

He had never been to the Uesugi mansion but he did not have to have been there to know how to get in. There was someone waiting for him out in the gardens, a figure he easily recognized sitting out in the small courtyard by the pond. "Mika-san…" He swallowed, emerging out of the darkness in human form as to not startle the young woman sitting there.

"I was wondering when you were going to show. Tohma had an idea of what you would be up to." She said, looking back on him with slate blue eyes that somehow resembled Tatsuha's. "There are no seals put up within the house tonight. You are free to come and go as you please. I will be returning to Tokyo when Tatsuha decides to go back." Her words were cold, stern. "You have done a great deal of pain to my little brother Sakuma-san. Tohma's friend or no, I will not stand by and watch him suffer."

"I know that." He retorted softly, and his eyes had narrowed, the pupils slitting like cat's eyes in defense. "And I will correct this mistake myself. Thank you for your help." And with that he vanished from her view, fleeing silently into the walls of the building, following Tatsuha's presence and the blood flowing in the boy's veins.

The candles had all but gone out in the rather large room, sitting on the free surface of the dressers. There was not a lot in this room, most of it had been taken over to Tatsuha's own apartment but everything that was still there was Nittle Grasper. Books, magazines, videos, DVDs, t-shirts…you name it, it had NG on it somewhere. The boy was asleep in bed, on the floor, curled up with the blankets pulled tightly around him, and Kumagoro's head snuggled up under the crook of his chin. Long raven bangs were plastered to his face from tears, stuck to his cheek and hiding the delicate lashes that had fallen across his closed eyes. He looked so naïve and peaceful that Ryu almost thought he had the wrong person.

The vampire knelt down by his sleeping form, just watching for a long long moment. Tatsuha was unaware of being watched and shifted, laying back on his back, his arms still tightly wrapped around the small pink bunny. He had obviously cried himself to sleep from the tearstains on his handsome face and it tore at Ryu's heart. "I'm sorry I hurt you like this." He murmured, trembling fingers reaching out to push those long raven bangs out of the boy's eyes.

He could feel the boy's mind stirring, the touch curiously pulling him from sleep and a little off guard, Ryuichi placed a compulsion deep in his mind to stay asleep, to rest because he needed to stop worrying over this. It seemed to comfort his conscious and return him back into a deep calm. The boy sighed. He was not sure what he would say if he were caught here at this hour like this.

The situation of Tatsuha being asleep however made Ryu feel a little bit more comfortable around him. His stomach rumbled and lurched, his craving for this boy not yet satisfied. He knew that he shouldn't do this, that it was only going to make it all seem worse, but he could not help wanting this man. He blushed a little, fingers trailing down the side of the boy's neck, feeling his slow steady pulse under his fingertips. He was not sure he could be what Tatsuha wanted him to be. He had the experience and he had the knowledge, but the thought of being with someone like that again…sent shivers racing through him. Still, Tatsuha made him feel so good whenever he was around him, and he longed to have him for his own. It was just a matter of facing fears, something he was not sure he was ready for yet.

"If…you do this for me…can I do that for you…?" He whispered softly, knowing he would get no answer in return but feeling the need to ask it. He moved slowly, like a stalking panther, up onto his hands and knees, body overtop of the boy's, looking down on that peaceful face streaked with sadness he had caused. Cerulean eyes half closed, his body trembling in anticipation, feeling his fangs grow in his mouth, longing for this. His body ached to do this as if he needed this one person to go on living.

Bowing his head to the side of the man's throat, he felt the strong pulse underneath his tongue as it slid across the soft skin, finding his spot to dig in. Sharp teeth pierced the flesh, crimson nourishment flowing up in its wake and instantly Ryu was lost in the overwhelming heat of having that boy's very life in his mouth. His body reacted, welcoming the hot salty blood into its own with a slamming throb of sensual desire. Even Tatsuha could feel it beneath the heavy spell he was under, a soft moan escaping his lips, dark brows furrowed and his hand clutching the covers. He did not wake, but it was as if he knew what was going on, and couldn't help but revel in it as well.

Ryu kept himself in control the entire time, even though his hunger seemed insatiable. He drew back, sweeping his tongue across the wounds to close it and looking down at the boy with eyes so dark blue they were nearly black. His body was aching, his heart was pounding in his chest and all he could think of was the sweet warm taste clinging to the insides of his mouth. Long dark chocolate hair shadowed his face, tickling against Tatsuha's bare chest and neck. He stared at that face, watching as the contorted stress melted back into nothing, though he could hear the heavy heartbeat racing with his own. "Mine." He whispered his claim, staring at that handsome face, and before he was aware of what he was doing, he had brought his wrist up to his mouth and bit his teeth into it, crimson running back along his slender arms.

He moved to the side, his lean form snuggling close to that muscular body and he cradled the boy's head against his stomach, opening his jaw and forcing him to drink. Dead to the world in trance and sleep, Tatsuha meekly obeyed, his body accepting the offering for what it was. It would make their bond no doubt stronger, tie them closer together, and anything more then this blood exchange could have tremendous consequences. But Ryuichi did not want to lose this man to anyone, not even his own foolish pride and stubborn fear.

Even after he had sealed the wound on his wrist, he continued to hold Tatsuha like that, fingers running through the thick dark strands of onyx hair, down the hard line of his jaw, across the stains on his cheeks. It was a lot easier when he was in control to get a feel for this body, this body he wanted to know so badly and yet feared its every reaction. Trembling fingers slipped down his strong neck, dancing along the delicate ridges of the boy's collarbone before working up the courage to push back the wide collar of the robes to expose more of that pale skin, caressing the hard muscles of his strong chest and feeling them twitch in response to such caresses, finding ever delve between bones and contour of the boy's torso from the defined muscles of his chest to his flat hard stomach which rippled and tensed as the soft fingertips brushed across it. His hold on Tatsuha's mind lessened, allowing him to react accordingly to the touches and Ryu blushed heavily when he found even in his sleep he could make the young man moan and shift so that he was leaning in to the caresses. He felt accomplished on what he was doing and wondering what exactly the man was dreaming of with such soft strokes across his body.

He was not aware of the time slipping by, not until the singing of the birds in the yard alerted him that dawn was quickly coming. Bright blue eyes jerked up and he pulled away from the young man, settling him back amongst the pillows and blankets of the floor mats. He went to the door and poked his head out, catching a glimpse of the midnight blue sky growing lighter and lighter by the minute, fading into baby blue over the rooftops of the house. He had no time left.

He turned, glancing back at the boy he was leaving behind and he turned, returning to his side for but a moment longer. Cerulean orbs were nearly in tears as he stared down at him helplessly, biting into his bottom lip. His hold on the boy's mind loosened and slipped away, not able to compel him to sleep any longer. "I…have to go now Tatsuha. You'll come back to me, won't you?" He didn't want to think of any answer other then yes, but he left that answer for the boy to make. "Kumagoro, I expect you to watch after him." It was a soft childish order in an attempt to cheer him up, but it didn't work. He leaned over, lips grazing across the young priests for but a moment. His first attempt to reaching out to him. "I love you…" He murmured, and before he changed his mind and had to face the dawn, shimmered out of view and left before the day completely broke.

--

Tohma had returned to his office late that evening, finally letting Noriko return home somewhere near four am. Not one to sleep very much in the first place, he collapsed into his chair behind that huge desk and closed his eyes. He did not move, and he could not hear it, but he knew he was not alone. "What can I do for you Tachibana-san? I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

The man came out of the shadows elegantly as if merely being called had brought him to life. He had removed his glasses, green eyes glinting in the low lights, hands shoved in the pockets of his dress pants. "This man Ryuichi suddenly has an interest for…who is he?" He asked, his deep quiet voice a little bit more frank and to the point then it had been earlier that day. All of the polite cheerfulness had drained right out of it.

Tohma did nothing more but turn on the lamp on his desk, showering the dark room with a glow of amber light and those blue-green eyes turned upward to look at the other man. "Uesugi Tatsuha, my brother-in-law." He said casually. "He's been a Nittle Grasper fan for years, and adores Ryuichi. He has helped me out on more then one occasion with dealing with Bad Luck and watching over Ryu when NG did not need to practice or perform."

"Uesugi…" The man growled out the name. "I should have known. And I suppose Eiri Yuki has said nothing to him then?"

There was a slight furrow of those blonde brows and then Tohma merely shrugged. "I don't see Eiri telling anyone much. He keeps secrets about himself that not even Shindou knows. There are things I'm certain Ryuichi doesn't know."

"I cannot allow this to happen! There will be no way I can ever acknowledge my son associating with any brethren of Uesugi." Hideo snarled, but Tohma just stood from his desk, not even acknowledging that he had said anything.

"You can do what you want." He said finally, slipping his cell phone into his pocket. "But it will in no way ruin my concert. I could careless what happens to your band, but I will not let my hard work be all for nothing. Don't expect my help."

"Seguchi!" He seethed, watching the young man walk to the door. "You were hiding this from me from the beginning. Are you really afraid to lose your family that much?"

"You cannot touch my family Tachibana-san. I may not be one of your kind, but there are ways of dealing with you." He said calmly, standing in the doorway. The vision of absolute confidence even if inside he was shaken a little bit. "This conversation is over. Perhaps you should return to your room soon. Dawn is not to far off." And with that, he left him in the empty half-lit office. This man would not touch Eiri, and Tohma would try his best to keep Tatsuha out of harm's way. The sad thing was he could not say the same for Ryuichi, not when this man was bound to the very core of his best friend's blood.

--

Tatsuha awoke early morning just as the sun was lighting the courtyard by his room. He sat up with a start, panting hard and dark gray eyes blinked wide. "Saku-" He started, reaching out, but there was no one there. He peered around, scanning the entire room just to see if anyone was there. He was a little disoriented but he felt well rested and a little stronger. Somehow his heartache didn't pain him as much.

He tilted his head and his neck throbbed. Instinctly he brought a hand up to rub the kink there, worried he might have slept in a weird way. His robe top was all the way undone and open and his body tingled and pulsed as if it was being caressed by hundreds of little fingers. His lips burned and he was perplexed. In his mind he had heard Sakuma talking to him, heard his deep sweet voice whispering sweet nothings to him as he slept. It was as if that man had ravaged him as he had slept, and left him aching and throbbing with the morning light. "Ryuichi…" He sighed, pushing back his long dark bangs. He was going through withdrawal so bad it was not even funny. He could not deal with this anymore. It had only been a little over twenty-four hours and already he could not stay mad. He had to do something, anything. He was still furious for what had been said, but he would have to swallow his pride and apologize just as Mika had told him. And hope there was still something there left to salvage.

Chapter Four End 

Author's Notes: Chapter FOOOOUUUURRR! I was gonna stop but I got inspired and worked all day with this, so there you have it! Lots to tell you all about though! As always, thank you for the reviews, I'm glad you all like it, I'm continuing the story because of you! It was originally going to be a sidestory, but I will keep it going for a bit, so we'll see.

Tachibana Hideo and the Dr.-What's-His-Face comment. LOL. For those of you who know your shounen-ai, Shu's making a reference to Dr. Kazutaka Muraki of Yami no Matsuei. I have come to found there are bad guys with silver hair in almost every yaoi anime (Loveless, YnM, Gakuen Heaven) and now Gravitation has one!

Since school has been taking up a lot of my time, and you all wait patiently and impatiently for the next chapters, I decided to do you all a favor and post pieces of each chapter on my myspace, so you all can check them out if you want! It's my listed website in my profile!

Anyways, Chapter Five: a little worried about Tachibana's threats, Tohma has taken matters into his own hands and has sent some very…trigger happy help out to Kyoto to fetch Tatsuha. Meanwhile, he's asked Eiri to keep an eye on Ryuichi, and between Shu and Ryu it's enough to drive everyone's favorite blonde novelist insane. To make matters worse, Broken Butterfly has outwardly insulted Nittle Grasper and Tachibana has all but declared war on NG! Ryu's got his hands full with trying to make the debut of his newest song, deal with the media and avoid Tachibana and disaster strikes. You never know how much you loved something until it's gone. Until I write again!

Sora Tokumi Kazuma


	5. Chapter 5

Idol of Song, Creature of Night 

Gravitation

Date Started: October 9, 2006

Sora Kazuma

Author's Notes #1: Happy Halloween Everyone! Hope its been a good day for all of you! Trick or…treat…

**Chapter Five: A Love to Late**

Mika paced restlessly down the hallway on her cell phone, blabbing off at the speed of light. "Tohma, listen to me. This is insane. It's broad daylight for crying outloud!"

"That doesn't matter." That boyish voice replied as strictly and calmly as ever. "I don't want you and Tatsuha there. Kyoto is full of it own entities and the last thing that I want is for harm to come to your father or your brothers over this, but I'm afraid the situation won't be stable any longer. Ryuichi will watch after Tatsuha, but I want you and Kairu somewhere safe."

All at once his words had become endearing, pleading that she would see things his way. She gave a small sigh, though she was smiling all the while. "Tohma…if that's how you want things, then that's how it will be. We'll head back at once. But tell me…why did you have to send HIM for this job?!"

There was a small chuckle on the other end of the line. "Because when it comes to brute force, I know no one else better suited for the job."

--

Tatsuha had gotten up and into the bath to wake him up a little more, the bathroom door left open so that he could see out into the courtyard from the side of the tub. His head was still foggy with heavy dreams and all over his chest and neck felt as if they were being caressed with tiny fingers, his skin burning from the aftereffects of someone touching him. He knew that it had to be Ryuichi's hands he was imagining, those small nimble hands fondling him everywhere and he sighed happily, resting his chin on the flat wooden edge of the tub. He was not completely sure that something like that had truthfully happened, but even if it was a dream it was a hell of a nice one. It was keeping his mind locked in perpetual bliss so that the hurt and the heartache did not reach him. Today was going to be a really good day.

As if to immediately change that statement, the ceiling above the tub splintered, creaked, and gave way, large beams of wood falling downwards. Tatsuha dashed to the other end of the container, but the falling beams took out one of the oak sides and the basin emptied its entire steaming contents within it out into the rest of the bath area, the open front door, and into the courtyard with a wall of foggy air following behind it.

Tatsuha glared as he sat naked in the now emptied tub, staring up at the tall figure having plummeted through the hole above and moving through the steam. There was a flick of gold and then-

"**Good morning**!" Came that deep cheerful voice in fluent English and those baby blue eyes peered down through the hot mist to stare at him.

The boy was on his feet in an instant. "K-san?!" He asked, dark eyes wide with disbelief, when really, he should have known all along. This would not, by any means, be good.

That handsome face straightened jaw firmly set. "So, you're the one who wants to steal my Ryuichi away, hmm?" He said in all seriousness, stalking forward and grabbing the young priest by the chin. "I have to say the resemblance to Yuki-san is uncanny…Ryu and Shu must have very similar tastes." Then again it didn't need to be said that the two lead singers were also striking similar with their lean bodies, beautiful faces, and big wide eyes. "I suppose I can let this past if you are nice to my Ryu. If not, a good shot to the head will always set you straight." He chuckled manically as he let the boy go, giving an evil grin that somehow made Tatsuha feel very vulnerable.

"Okay, so that's all well and good, but what are you here for, K-san?" The boy asked, swallowing. Maybe Tohma had finally gotten tired of waiting on Tatsuha to come back and he had sent K to finish him off. He would not put it past his brother-in-law to do something devious like that. "You're not here to kill me…are you?"

"If it was up to me, I would be!" K replied brightly, being pulled from his thoughts with a big smile and Tatsuha felt his stomach lurch. However those blue eyes looked back on him with purpose. "But Seguchi has given me orders to escort you and Mika-san back to Tokyo today, so hunting you down will have to wait until a later date." He gave a small sigh, sounding so disappointed and the boy wasn't sure whether he was just kidding around or if he really meant it.

"Escort us…back to Tokyo? Has something happened?" He asked surprised with the seriousness that seemed to hide in that handsome face.

Bad Luck's manager merely shrugged his broad shoulders. "I can't say. But the orders are from Seguchi and I have to follow them whether I like it or not." The way he was looking at Tatsuha, the boy had a feeling it was probably the "or not." "Come on, we don't have time. Taking the train is too risky so we'll have to drive it, and we are to have returned to the city by nightfall. So move it."

"Yeah, sure thing." Tatsuha nodded and leapt over the side of the tub, grabbing his towel and wrapping it around his waist as he fled down the hall back to his bedroom. K followed him to the door, instead collapsing on the porch as he stared out into the gardens. At the moment he was cursing this house and its family for everything it was worth.

--

"You want ME to go pick up Ryu's little loverboy?" Claude had snapped, glaring at NG's president as he spoke. "Why? He ran away, it's neither my fault nor my concern. I'm no longer his manager."

"No, you're not." Tohma had admitted calmly, truthfully. "But you are his friend. You still don't want to believe that this is all Ryuichi's desire and not mine, do you? You know where he was last night. I did nothing in the sort to push the idea on him at all. He went of his own free will."

Those cyan eyes were watching his, waiting for the moment he would slip up and falter, and despite himself, the American gritted his teeth. "I don't understand this."

That calm smile flickered a little bit and Seguchi's cold gaze softened, showing how truly tired he was. "You do not have to understand it. You just have to accept it for what it is. For what Ryu wants it to be." He paused, giving a small dismissive gesture with his hand as he folded them neatly together. He did not have to defend his best friend's emotions to this man and he certainly didn't want to take the time to. "The point being, **Mr. K**, is that you have dealt with Tachibana's group before and even if he has grown in power since the last time, you know what to generally expect."

He turned in his chair, looking out the wide glass windows at the city sprawled out before them, bathed in the glow of a golden sunrise, the only comfort of knowing that at this time of day, everything dark and creepy was buried in the shadows, asleep. "If we lose Tatsuha, the concert will be the last thing that will need to be worried about. If that boy dies, we lose Ryuichi, to Tachibana Hideo and to the monster inside that man we both know so well. Will you still ignore my orders?"

Those cerulean eyes stared at the back of that chair, wondering what Tohma's face must have looked like at that moment, with such soft words spoken. "When and how should I leave?" He asked finally after a heavy unbreakable silence.

There was a soft chuckle and the reply followed. "There's a private jet waiting for you. No one is to know that you left on this end. I will inform Sakano of the details later on and will keep a certain singer from sniffing out too much without receiving his own set orders. No go, and reach them as quickly as you can."

K nodded and was out the door silently; with merely a flick of his long golden ponytail to symbolize he had come and gone. He was not aware that Tohma had turned from the skylight view to his phone with worried eyes, dialing in a very familiar number. He was not doing this for Seguchi, but for the loveable vocalist with the big ocean blue eyes.

--

Sitting there and thinking about it now made him wonder if it was all still worth it. He was not sure if Tohma's sudden paranoia of the KMS manager was well placed. He had had some trouble in the past with the man when Ryu was stationed at XMR in New York and discovered that his demonic lackeys were practically useless, but for the most part it seemed a misunderstanding had happened between them and when Ryuichi had finally spoken up about it, Tachibana had let go and stopped pursuing. He knew that Ryu despised and feared Tachibana, and he was one of the few people that knew why, but a direct visit to Tokyo seemed more the work of an overprotective parent then a man hell-bent on destroying the other. Even if he craved the young superstar, it was not in the murderous intent. If he really wanted his "son" dead, there was not a person capable of stopping him, as it was Tachibana Hideo that had transformed Ryuichi Sakuma into what he was today, after all.

The manager jerked his head up at the sudden feel of eyes watching him, and his hand went directly for the magnum at his side. As quickly as it had come it was gone, though those baby blue eyes were scanning the brush and formations in the garden for some sort of presence or aura. Maybe he was letting his thoughts get the better of him. Or maybe Tohma was right and there was more going on then what he thought.

"K-san?" Tatsuha blinked his dark eyes as he opened the door, surprised to find him sitting there. He grinned sheepishly. "What, one glance at me naked wasn't enough?" He teased leaning on the doorframe.

Instantly he was looking down the barrel of the gun. "I don't do boys." He replied, knowing there was more then one meaning to that sentence, but it was more law right now then anything else.

Tatsuha stiffly nodded, dark eyes wide, trying not to whine. "Y-Yeah, gotcha."

The gun was swiftly put back inside its holster as the American eyed the boy's heavy jacket and riding pants, the duffel bag over the one shoulder and the helmet leaning on his waist under the other arm. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Getting ready to go back…?" He asked with the same questioning response. "I'm taking my bike."

Alarms went off inside K's head and instantly the gun was back at the boy's forehead. "No you're not. You're riding with me."

"Dude, no." Tatsuha replied, though it came out soft as the gun was much more intimidating then getting to keep his motorcycle. "I'm not staying locked up for no apparent reason. If Seguchi-san wants to torture me, he can do it, but I gotta have my bike so I can at least go out on my own."

"K!" There was a sharp feminine reprimand and Mika was standing there glaring at the blonde with Kairu rocked against her one hip. "Drop the gun."

Claude huffed and gritted his teeth together but he backed off, repeating what he'd just heard. "The kid wants to take his motorcycle back into town."

Those slate blue eyes widened slightly and she glanced at her little brother. He did not know what kind of danger he was in if Tachibana decided to make a move. However, Tohma did not want Tatsuha to know what was going on, not unless there became a dire need for it. He was keeping it from Ryuichi too, allowing the couple to focus more on their relationship together then the other problems at hand.

Seguchi had believed an air route would be dangerous as it would be a last shot thing if there were a problem with the planes and that would not end smoothly. Air wrecks were usually messy and planes were easy to tamper with. The trains were public and although he had the authority to seal off an entire route to and from, he did not want to bring the media into this in any way. By highway would take the longest but it was the safest course of action since they could easily lose any "problem" they might have along the way.

She hesitated for just a moment, wondering what to say, what her husband would do. If it were Tohma, he would probably feign ignorance and arrogance. "I don't see why not." She said sternly. "He's not being forced to stay, and he's done nothing wrong. Stop being so bossy K. All you Americans are just the same."

Those ocean blue eyes narrowed as he stared back at her and for that second the silence between them spoke volumes. She trusted him to deal with the situation if something happened, but she was giving away the impression nothing was seriously wrong. And he would have to deal with that handicap she had placed on him. He smiled and gave a small defeated sigh, throwing his hands up in the air. "What can I say? Boss-lady gives the final word. You stay close to us though so that we don't lose you. Last thing we need is you running off."

"Whatever." The gun was immediately back at the boy's temple and he cringed. "Okay, okay. I'll stay with you guys. Can we go now?"

--

Shuichi was quite shocked when he arrived to the studio and was immediately given orders to head to the president's office. Hiro and Suguru seemed to be puzzled on what was going on and Sakano had been jumpy all day, pacing back and forth and ranting like he usually did whenever a tremendous amount of stress had been placed on him.

Shu hated going to this office. It only meant bad things when he did and despite how much he adored Nittle Grasper and the company he worked for, how he admired his boss, he had come to realize he didn't really like the man. Tohma was a genius and half of the time his scheming left the rather energetic lead singer in awe and anger over the strategic turns of events that unfolded all to Seguchi's liking. It infuriated him that he looked up to him.

He held his breath as he rapped on the heavy door and got an immediate answer, a light friendly "Ah, Shindou-kun, come on in." He sounded like he was in a good mood. Maybe this wouldn't be too bad.

Opening the heavy door those violet eyes blinked wide and his jaw fell agape. There, seated at a chair in front of Tohma's desk, was the object of Shu's affections, the man that owned him, heart, body, and soul. The blinds had been pulled down over the big windows to allow some comfort to the two who were affected by the sunlight and the room had a cozy air to it despite its big, arrogant cleanliness. "Y-Yuki!" Shuichi gaped, quickly closing the door behind him and leaning back on it. His knees were going weak.

The handsome novelist looked back on him with the same gaze as always behind the familiar slim-framed glasses, amber eyes that could ignite a fire in the younger man and had him melting on the floor.

Tohma cleared his throat, though he was still smiling. "Please Shindou, take a seat. I have something serious to talk to the both of you about."

Shu could only numbly nod and come further into the office, taking a seat in the large plush chair that was seated next to his lover's. He had not expected this at all and that tone of voice meant something really bad was just about to happen.

"Eiri and I have been talking the last day or so. No doubt you've been pulled into it too, this thing between Tatsuha and Ryuichi." Tohma started, not allowing a word in, but watching as the vocalist gave a small nod of his head in response. "You said something to Eiri last night about Tachibana being here." It was more a statement then a question.

"H-He mentioned something about Echo!" The boy finally chimed in on his own defense, glancing at Yuki, who did not return the same worried look but merely a brushing sweep of his gold eyes in calm response. Helpless, Bad Luck's lead singer quickly continued. "He had Sakuma-san really shaken up yesterday! I couldn't sit back and say nothing!"

"The point is that you and Tatsuha have dragged Eiri into this mess." Tohma replied lightly, though those words sounded ghastly. "And despite my efforts, he's interested in helping his little brother out."

"I can speak for my self." Yuki replied in the same snapping tone, glancing at Tohma.

NG's president smiled brightly. "I'm sorry. I apologize." He said in a tone so sweet it made Shuichi's stomach twist.

The gorgeous author slipped off his glasses, rubbing at his forehead. "To be honest, I don't give a damn what Tatsuha does. He's always been another one to never listen to reason. But knowing what Tachibana is planning does not sit well with me either. Not in my town. He can go the hell back to wherever he came from."

"W-What?" Shuichi glanced between the two. "What's going on? I know this guy is creepy, but who is he? What does he want? Is he here to cause trouble?"

"He's Ryuichi's father, in the same sense that Echo is your mother." Tohma continued when it was evident Yuki was not going to speak up anymore. "He has every right and responsibility to Ryu as if he were his parent. He controls his very blood." He crossed his hands, lacing his fingers together. "But all this you know, or at least, can immediately understand. What you don't know is that Tachibana Hideo, as brilliant as he is, has a very twisted mind that came forth from a complication in his conversion from human to vampire. He's more a half-breed, but he has several personalities that like to seep through when he's in possession of power or blood. Personalities that put other everyday monsters we've had to deal with to shame."

Shuichi's mouth suddenly went dry, his throat tight and breath unable to escape him. He didn't need to hear the name of whom Tohma was thinking- it drifted throughout all their minds together. Kitazawa.

"That's enough Tohma." Yuki warned, sliding the glasses back on nonchalantly, but not wanting to drift into a part of his past that belong buried, nor wanting to bring pain to Shuichi and he could fell it there inside his lover's mind, radiating with the shock of what he was learning.

This time it was those cyan eyes that glanced between the two and he gave a small nod of his head. "Again, I'm sorry." He apologized sincerely. "That is enough for now anyways. The fact of the matter is, is that Tachibana is a very dangerous man, and he jeopardizes not only Tatsuha's and Ryu's relationship, but their lives by being here. It should come to no surprise that he wants Tatsuha dead."

"Tohma." Again Yuki was warning him, golden eyes glaring at the older man with impatient aggravation. Meanwhile Shuichi had nearly leapt from his seat.

"I'm not about to let that happen! We can't! Not after they've worked so hard to try and understand each other! Sakuma-san really is trying!" Those violet eyes looked like they were gonna spill tears any minute. "Tell me what I have to do! How can I help?"

This time Seguchi ignored Yuki's response and grabbed onto Shuichi's instead. "I'm not about to let that happen either Shindou. But I will need help from the both of you. Tatsuha will be returning to Tokyo shortly, from which point I want Ryuichi to look after him. Until then, I want the two of you to watch Ryu until he rises and keep an eye on him during this week. His emotions or not, Tachibana has to act as the high-class professional that he is during his stay here and there are some rules he will not be allowed to break because of his reputation. I will do all that I can to stop a serious matter from occurring."

"You're brilliant Seguchi-san! I'm sure you'll think of something! Yuki and I will do all that we can to make sure-" He was stopped short by his lover getting up from his seat, snatching the papers off the desk in front of him and heading for the door. "Huh? Yuki? Yuuuuuuukkkkiiiii!!!!!" Without another word, Shu was gone after him, wondering what that was all about.

Tohma sank into his chair. "Sorry about this Eiri." He murmured softly, closing his worn teal eyes. In the end would all his preparations be enough? They didn't even know what they were up against.

--

Tatsuha was chomping at the bit to leave the place, now that he had figured out which direction he wanted to take with this problem and he was rather impatiently harassing Mika and K to leave. Finally his sister gave in, and grumbling about something similar about a certain pink-haired singer, said goodbye to their father and left with Kairu tired and worn out in her arms from running back and forth across the long halls.

"Bye Dad!" Tatsuha called cheerfully with that bright smile of his that left his dark eyes glinting mischievously. "I'll bring Sakuma-san by to meet you after I've rightfully claimed him!"

"You…WHA?!" Their father's eyes blinked wide and he slumped against the porch rail on the side of the temple suddenly feeling quite faint. "First Eiri, now…"

"Oh come on Father, you can't honestly say you didn't see it coming." Mika was smiling as she watched Tatsuha toss his things into the back of her red convertible and go for his bike. "And you can't say you're not relieved to see him back to smiling like an absolute idiot."

The old man let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes. "They should be condemned from this house for all time, the four of them." He said, obviously referring to his two sons and the objects of their affections. "But, I have to say, Eiri and Tatsuha would not be who they are today without those two gentlemen."

Mika's smile widened. She saw the same thing in both of them, regardless of how their personalities differed. Her siblings were desperately trying to find themselves in life where their entire heart had control. "You were the same when you were younger, Father, I'm sure. After all the Uesugi family…has never been able to go on alone." She started down the steps, her long curtain of chocolate brown hair swishing behind her. "I'll give you a call when we reach Tokyo. The soon we go, the better. I want to have reached NG by dark."

Meanwhile, K had Tatsuha at gunpoint on his bike and he went over a couple "rules". "You are not to lose sight of us. And you have a cell phone. If something should happen, since they always seem to do on these lovely road trips, call your sister."

"Okay, Okay…you sound as if something IS going to happen." Those charcoal eyes narrowed slightly, but the young man couldn't help but be intimidated by the American and his magnum. He would go running and screaming to Ryuichi later about the horrible bodyguard after they reunited, that was for sure.

Hearing those words the blonde smiled brightly. "Yeah? Why ever would you think that?" He laughed lightly, concealing the gun back into its holster. He ruffled the boy's glossy raven hair and stepped back from the motorcycle. "Okay then kiddo, have fun!" He beamed and returned to the side of the car where Mika was waiting.

Reving the engine on the bike and slipping on his helmet, the young man effortlessly took the vehicle down the long stretch of road that led off the Uesugi property, itching to get this whole thing underway. He was tempted to race on, but stopped and waited, looking behind him for signs of his sister's sports car.

When it finally appeared in the corner around the lush grove of trees, it seemed as if there had been a scuffle over who would be driving, as K was sulking in the passenger's seat on the left and Mika was triumphantly driving with a deep scowling on her face but a very amusing glint to those blue eyes. She waved her brother to continue on and after checking the traffic allowed him to pass out onto the main roads.

Tatsuha felt like a little kid all over again, learning how to drive for the first time and he was fighting irritation as he made it back out onto the freeway, heading north towards Tokyo. He leaned down low as the speed and the wind coming off the bike picked up, his body shifting naturally along the curved turn coming off the ramp. He was keeping a little over the speed limit, but not so much that he couldn't see Mika who was probably two or three car lengths behind. So far, so good.

It was almost four in the afternoon when Tatsuya took an exit off the road and left his sister and K to questionably follow him to a place where he could stop completely at a gas station.

When the group finally rolled to a stop, Mika jumped out of the car, her face immediately concerned and frustrated. "Why have we stopped?!" She demanded as her brother took off his bike helmet.

Those fine dark brows furrowed and he shrugged his broad shoulders absently. Everyone seemed a little on edge and he didn't know why. He saw her slate blue eyes glance upwards at the sky, something having caught her attention, or maybe just judging time itself, he couldn't tell. "I'm running on less then a quarter tank of gas, and I haven't eaten all day. I'm not going to make it back on empty."

"You-" She spat, instantly back on him with her irritation, but stopped when she saw his thoughtful look as he watched her. He was piecing things together, she could tell and for a moment she froze.

"Is everything okay Sis?" He asked, really concerned and very innocent, like a little boy who was playing games.

She huffed. "Of course!" She managed. "I would rather you have let me known before hand is all!" She snapped at him as best as she could. She was letting this stress her out, her concern mounting as the afternoon kept slipping by. Damn Tohma for dragging her into this. And damn Tatsuha too. She'd ring both their necks.

"Sorry," He huffed, all at once sounding agitated; a little miffed she wouldn't just come out and say what was wrong. "Then you won't mind me taking a small rest. Fifteen minutes tops." He said, turning off the ignition on his bike and hopping off to run inside the small convenience store.

K had been left in the car to watch over the little one who was soundly sleeping in his car seat in the back. However, he had a hand on the gun as he tilted his head to the side slightly, blue eyes flickering about to survey the area. There it was again; that familiar eerie feeling of being watch, of knowing that someone was out there staring back at you, waiting for you to move. So, they had followed them from the mansion after all, had they? In broad daylight, it was mostly humans they were after, or maybe a higher vampire with a tolerance to daylight or maybe a half-breed that could walk in the sun. Who knew, the undead was not K's particular forte and he was not adept at hunting them.

Those cerulean eyes recognized a dark, navy blue imported car sitting across the street at a diner, one that he had seen an hour or so back, behind them on the interstate. Was it merely a coincidence or was it what he was seeking?

The driver's door opened and Mika threw herself into the seat with a furious sigh. "Damn bastard." She muttered, throwing her arms up against the steering wheel and letting her forehead rest against them.

"Nothing's wrong?" K asked questioningly, batting fine lashes when she glared at him. They were not on the best of terms at the moment with each other after K had put that magnum in her face and she had threatened his career, all over the role of who would drive back to Tokyo.

"He's out of gas!" She murmured, muffled behind her curtain of dark hair. "He doesn't realize-"

"Shh." He said, leaning forward to silence her. "Neither should we. I think we have company." His tone was just above a whisper but he saw her freeze instantly.

Big blue eyes widened and she lifted her head slowly to look up at him. "God, no…" She said, and then sat back against the back of the seat as if nothing was wrong, smiling faintly at him. "Where?"

"I'm not sure. I can feel them watching us. I think…the dark car parked across the street." He motioned slightly with a tilt of his head and a flick of his ponytail. She looked past his shoulder to glance at the vehicle almost uninterested, turned up her nose and then lean back in to the depth of the driver's seat.

"What do you think they'll do?" She whispered, trying not to panic.

"I can't say. If they've been watching all this time, maybe that's all they're here to do. But we can't let Tatsuha know…" K shrugged and then stiffened as he caught the car stirring to life in the window mirror, watched as it slowly rolled out of the parking lot, stopped at the street and then crossed. Crossed into the gas station and stopped beside a pay pump. The two in the car looked at each other, Mika feeling her heart stop in her chest and then race in terror.

The driver's door opened on the sleek dark blue car and a young man in a khaki's and a white button-down shirt emerged, a baseball cap and a thick jacket thrown around his shoulders as if hiding his body from view. K stilled and pulled the magnum from the holster. "We're in trouble." He admitted softly, not knowing another reason a man would wear a coat around him in this sort of heat. Unless he was trying to shield himself from the sun.

If the man saw them huddled in the car watching him, he did not even giving them a passing glance, but instead, checked his pocket as if counting money and headed casually for the convenience store door. Mika wanted to call out, to shout for her baby brother, to give him a warning, any kind of sign, but her mouth was not functioning and K glared at her when she made a small hiccupping sound, signaling her to be silent. There were others in the car; another man had gotten out, dressed in a ridiculously heavy fashion of a turtleneck and a wide-brimmed hat, waiting at the pump for the register to catch up with it. If they didn't suspect them already they did now, and it was as if they too were being watched. Tatsuha would have to be able to do this on his own and they could only wait, terrified, as to what would happen.

Tatsuha was browsing the store with hungry eyes; having already drained half a bottle of some sports drink in the process. He had un buttoned his jacket to let some of the heat escape him and pried his shirt off his chest where it was plastered with sweat.

The sound of the door opening and the welcoming bell jingle did not catch his attention, blind to anything but satisfying his starving stomach. Finally picking a heap of small snacks he came back up to the counter to see a young man conversing with the counter clerk, asking politely for directions out of the area. Standing there patiently, the young man couldn't help but admire the tall gentleman leaning over the counter. He was handsome alright, not as beautiful as Sakuma of course, but a little similar in the shaggy chocolate brown hair.

The clerk giggled and she turned bright red from what the man was saying before she batted her fine lashes and looked past him to realize Tatsuha was still there holding a dozen items in his hands. "Back again?" She asked with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry about the wait."

The man at the counter turned, chocolate brown eyes blinking as the young priest came forward. "Sorry bout that." He echoed and gave a small smile.

Despite his friendly voice, Tatsuha swallowed and hesitated coming forward, finally throwing his display of stuff up onto the countertop. Those dark eyes felt heavy on him and they were making him most uncomfortable.

The man smiled a little bit more. "Where ya heading too?" He asked and Tatsuha realized he had a southern accent to his voice. Then again, they were halfway from Kyoto.

Despite the friendly tone, it seemed mixed in Tatsuha's head, as if there were some other objective then just being polite. "Uh, Tokyo." He blurted out without really thinking about it. "Gotta settle issues with a lover."

"Ah, I see." The young man nodded and Tatsuha finally stole a glance at his face. Those dark eyes were still watching him impassively, chocolate brown orbs fixed on his face. It was there for a moment, but he saw those big pupils narrow into slits. His heart stopped in his chest and he couldn't breath. He was like Ryuichi. He was one of them; a vampire. He didn't know how that could be possible in the middle of the day, but there was another undead standing right in front of him and there was the unshakeable feeling that he was here for him.

"Your total comes to 875-" The counter clerk started, the first words spoken in that long eternal moment and it broke the heavy gaze apart. Tatsuha bolted for the door, making his way around the aisles to dash outside. "Sir! Your food!" She called after him, but the other man just seemed to grin widely at that.

"He won't need it where he's going." He told her politely and calmly followed behind. "Run, run, little black rabbit…" He mused softly. This was all just a hunt before the kill, and if his prey fled then it would be all the better in the end.

Tatsuha was shaking so badly when he came outside he couldn't manage to get his keys in the ignition. Steadying his hand, he jerked the motorcycle to life and slipped on his helmet before racing out of the parking lot and out onto the road, desperately looking for the right way back onto the highway.

"**Shit, shit, shit…**" K was cursing in English as the other man came out of the convenience store and ran back towards the car parked at the gas pump. Evidently, Tatsuha had found out something and now the game had started. "Get this car moving woman!" He demanded as Mika fumbled for the keys and put the car in drive, turning the wheel sharply.

Her only response was to step on the gas, and the squealing of tires was heard as they made a fast, whip lashing turn out of the parking lot before the others had started up their car. "You call me 'woman' one more time, and I'll shoot you myself!" She hissed, her threats put on hold as her cellphone started going off. It was Tatsuha.

She picked up screaming "WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Into the phone as she steadied the wheel with one hand and let K silently point out the direction in which to head.

Tatsuha heard her loud and clear as the earpiece of his phone vibrated in his ear and he curved up onto the highway, accelerating into the stream of cars. "Back on the interstate! You didn't tell me there were vampires after us! That's what's been bothering you, hasn't it? Why the hell are they here? Does Tohma want me dead?!" He was panicked and it showed in his voice, hell he was still shaking a little, his mind scrambling in all sorts of directions.

The wind was cutting the words coming through the mic, but the two upfront in the car heard it loud and clear. They glanced at each other and K nodded his head slowly, getting her to glance to the rear view mirror. The navy blue car was right behind them, and gaining speed.

She put more pressure on the gas, listening to the engine roar and didn't bother to slow down on the ramp, flying off the edge of it and still pushing for more. "They're not friends of Tohma's, Tatsuha, they're enemies of Sakuma." She replied, watching all the while as their pursuers crept closer up. Damn this import, couldn't it go any faster?!

"Then what the hell do they want?" Tatsuha was yelling back into the mic now, weaving in between traffic, she could see him up ahead, the red and black motorcycle swishing back and forth between the cars.

"They want you, kid." K snatched the phone away from the girl, letting her concentrate on driving. Cerulean eyes glanced back to the back where the toddler was coming out of sleepiness. Things were getting really rough. "You think they're going to let Ryu's potential lover just wonder free?"

'Gotta settle issue with a lover.' The words ringed back in the boy's mind. Why had he been so stupid to say something like that? Now it all made sense! They were after him and if they caught him, it was not going to be pretty.

Suddenly a line of break lights were thrown on up ahead. "There's construction work going on up ahead." Tatsuha said in all seriousness. The lines were slowing down and the distance between cars was getting smaller. "Are we still being followed?"

"Yes!" Mika shouted, blue eyes glancing back, the dark blue import still behind them and creeping closer as if casually waiting for the chance to snatch them all up. Waiting for her to make one stupid mistake that would cost them dearly.

"What should we do Sis? Should we get off at the next exit?" Tatsuha asked, wanting to know what should happen.

"The congestion's only for another half a mile. Once we get a straight shot we should floor it for all it's worth. There's no use to us getting off at an unknown exit, getting panicked and lost. That's what they want us to do." K said, a little ticked with this waiting game. "Seguchi. The second traffic starts breaking, you floor this goddamn thing and Tatsuha, take off like that bike's got wings. If they're still following us through to the city, we can easily lose them on the way in."

"We should let Tohma know what's going on." Mika said, slowing down as she watched her brother in the far left lane applying the brakes too.

"You'll not reach him at this hour, there is a press conference this afternoon for the concert." K replied, watching the car behind them, the speedometer and the red and black motorcycle up ahead. "He's probably tied up all evening with rehearsal and media."

Mika muttered a couple lines about her husband that were not worth mentioning as it would probably offend those who are Tohma fans. She wanted to scream at the construction workers as they passed by the area that broke the road down into two lanes. They had managed to get up closer, probably two cars behind Tatsuha who was still in the left lane, which was a sensible lane lock as the import behind could not get past either of them. The import however was half a car length behind in the left lane, so close that they could look back at the dark car and make out that there were at least two people hiding behind those darkly tinted windows. Mika's heart was in her throat and her stomach was turning upside down.

The moment traffic broke though, the situation went horribly wrong. The cars in front on the right sped up and Tatsuha, not thinking on it so much, immediately got over into the right lane. The car that had been behind him raced to pick up the slack and the import squeezed ahead of the little convertible, passing them by on the outside with ease. "Tatsuha, no!" Mika cried watching as the speed continued to increase and although the motorcycle was fast it could not keep up with the navy blue cruiser that was pulling up alongside it.

"We're out of options this time." K said, throwing open the door on the side of the convertible as the passenger's side door opened. There was the handsome young man from the convenience store without the jacket and cap, and eerily smoking as the sunlight touched his pale skin. Tatsuha could barely register what was happening, lifting his head as the man lunged at him and feeling for a moment that he was about to be tackled by a great lion that was pouncing its prey. With graceful ease the man cleared the distance between the two moving vehicles, though the shock and the fright had caused the motorcycle to curve off the highway onto the shoulder, still running at its maximum speed.

K was half leaning out the car, and with excellent marksmanship shot out the tires on the import so that the car turned violently around at the speed it was doing and careened with the car next to it, starting a tremendous pile up of cars as Mika swerved into the shoulder to escape the mess. She couldn't see the motorcycle around the bend and she was scared for her brother's life. Not about to stop for anything, she slowed onto an exit ramp half a mile up the road when there was still no sign of the small bike and came to a stop. K had since come back inside and shut the door, hiding the gun as if he had not done a single thing wrong. Frantic fingers shakily pounded on the keys of the cell phone and all at once she went quiet as the phone rang…and rang…and rang…and finally went into his voicemail. He either couldn't hear it ring or he could not get to it.

The sound of sirens screamed behind them as several ambulances bolted up the highway, all of them heading southbound, except the last one. It veered to the right going easily over the speed limit, lights blazing. K and Mika merely glanced at each other for a moment before the girl through the phone down as it clicked into her brother's voicemail again and pushed the gas pedal down to the floor.

--

There was nothing handsome about this man now, Tatsuha observed, his body wisping and fuming smoke as his skin sizzled and burned, dark eyes wild with excitement and hunger. He seemed a hideous monster, and the one thing that was going to lead him to his doom.

"I'm the last thing you'll ever see kid." He growled with a heavy predatorial smile, body hunched over Tatsuha's pressed sharply up against his back. Teeth sunk deep into the side of his neck, exposed by the jacket just under the curved side of the helmet, biting down all the way to the bone and tearing flesh and muscle in their wake. Tatsuha let out a scream, muffle don the inside of his helmet and felt his body start to convulse, fingers trembling on the handlebars. The vampire grabbed the right and gave it a swift jerk, careening the speeding bike into the white-stone dividing walls.

Raven eyes threatening to give out from the overwhelming pain stared at the wall as it came closer and he huffed. "Like hell I'm dying from this." He muttered and somehow words flashed through his head. He could hear the familiar syllables as a chant his father had used from time to time and unconsciously he was saying them now out loud, whispering the words fast as the wall loomed ever closer. They were foreign to him, something roughly Japanese but not at the same time. Maybe it was a prayer for guidance, or a plea to be saved. They seemed to flow straight out of thin air and wrap around his body, concealing everything that he was within their sound. He wasn't sure, but the words continued to come until the motorcycle hit the wall and exploded into a pile of red-hot flame and cindering sparks. Hopefully, they would help save his soul.

His last thoughts were of Ryuichi, smiling, happy, loveable Ryuichi, the one he had always idolized, but not exactly the one he had come to know. He smiled, realizing he had preferred the crybaby, the needy and the sad Ryuichi he had come to know the last couple of days. He seemed more real, more attainable even, if only for a moment. Tatsuha still dreamed of that one night of holding him in his arms. It was his silent accomplishment in his life. Would he be even sadder if he were gone? He didn't want to see those bright blue eyes cry anymore. "Sakuma…forgive me."

--

Ryuichi was a bounding bundle of energy when he reached NG studios that evening, running all over the place to say hi to everyone. He had spent all night with Tatsuha, gotten the first good day's sleep in a week, fed, and was now all but waiting for his lover boy to come back to him. He was outwardly happy, and it gave a refreshing outlook to the place, which seemed stressed as all hell, and it made Shuichi smile when he was pounced by his idol.

"SHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUU!!" Ryu cried before he glomped the vocalist of Bad Luck, tumbling them both to the floor. "I thought you were leaving early today! Why are you-" He stopped rambling when he saw Yuki leaning against the wall, glasses on and book in hand, obviously preoccupied and not giving the two idiots sprawled on the floor even one second of his time. "I see. So Yuki-san is here tonight." Still no response from the handsome blonde.

"You see Sakuma-san, Seguchi asked us to stay later and help him since the concert is in a few days and all…and well, Yuki missed me so much that he couldn't simply stay at home and wait for me to return. So he came to find me." Shuichi gave a dramatic sigh, his violet eyes shining, just before a hardcover book came down on the back of his head.

"You wish it worked that way." Came that deep, quiet voice, and those golden eyes looked down at the Nittle Grasper artist, sizing him up in someway. Big cerulean eyes blinked blankly back at him with a slight tilt of his head that undoubtedly reminded him of his lover. Despite his brother looking the exact opposite their taste in men seemed to strangely be the same. "Tohma asked us to watch out for you until Tatsuha gets back." He replied finally, as bluntly honest as he could be.

Shuichi cringed. He hadn't wanted to say anything about it to him, knowing how Skauma had already been upset. "Y-Yuki!" He spat, looking back at him and then glancing to Ryu as he picked himself up off the floor and straightened out that tank-top that looked almost to big for the young man. He was expecting Sakuma to be upset but was surprised when he got a small smile on his face instead.

"Thank you for your concern Yuki-san! Nice doing pleasure with you!" He beamed broadly and the author was rather surprised with the way it sounded, blinked and finally huffed.

"Sakuma I think you mean 'Nice to meet you' or 'pleasure doing business with you'," Shuichi pointed out, knowing that Eiri was a Grammar-Nazi and Ryu's Japanese sucked horribly sometimes.

"Yeah, yeah!" The young man nodded enthusiastically to the corrections. "Come on, let's go find Tohma and see what he wants!"

It was not too difficult to find the other members of NG as they were gathered in a meeting room on the top floor near Tohma's office. Noriko was apparently very pissed and fuming silently and Tohma was seated ontop the polished table with his legs gracefully crossed, remote in hand. "I don't believe this! That-" She growled, stomping her foot, though her oddly-colored eyes peered back on the trio entering the meeting room with a very surprised and stunned stare. "Evening Ryu…and Shindou and Yuki-san."

"They're here on my orders, no worries." Tohma's usually calm and carefree smile was definitely more forced this time, but he welcomed them all in anyways. "I'd like to show you something that aired on TV this morning. It was out of my own carelessness that I let something like this happen, but I was doing it for the good of their band and their publicity in Japan…I didn't think…" The blonde replied, shushing as the clip replayed again.

It was a popular daytime talk show with the hostess of Nakajima Kyoko, welcoming out their next guest. Everyone could watch Ryu freeze as Tachibana appeared from the wing, smiling and holding up a hand to the camera. The crowd was immediately a buzz with screams and claps and cries as he took his seat across from the hostess. After welcoming him back to Japan and a brief bit of history into his record career, the talk changed.

"So NG is allowing Butterfly into the Japanese scene. How does this sit with you?" She asked, leaning on the armrest of her large chair.

Hideo pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "I'm honored to be working with a well-known and dedicated company such as NG, even if, there are a few things that don't sit well with me at this point and time."

"Few things?" Kyoko's eyebrows went up and the chatter died out.

"Well…yes. This will be Nittle Grasper's twelfth year as a band, and they honestly can't decide whether they want to stay together or find something else to do. Ryuichi has been deciding his careers on a whim and changing them whenever he likes, and Tohma has been letting it happen for years, this time not only letting Sakuma do what he wants but also helping to produce a new single in time for the concert."

"A new song?!" The hostess exclaimed and automatically the crowd was a buzz again, chaos ensuing to the point the daytime host had to motion to the live audience to quiet down.

Tachibana merely smiled and shrugged his broad shoulders. "From what I have heard, Ryuichi has written it and Tohma and Noriko have supplied the music."

The hostess glanced from the man to the crew offstage for a moment until back to Hideo. "That is…wonderful." She managed to get out, flustered and smiling brightly at this new piece of information. "So, back on topic…Nittle Grasper's randomness of the past five years? You're not particular friends with them? I thought NG did a tour for KMS over in America when they first hit it big."

"Oh, they did, they did. My father was in charge of the company then." Hideo replied quickly. "And I am friends with Nittle Grasper, there's no lie there. Ryu and I are…particularly close…"

"How close?" She said, picking up the hint in his sliding voice and the crowd was immediate whispers again.

He blushed slightly and batted his green eyes. "How close do you want us to be?" He asked teasingly, putting on a show and immediately got a couple whistles and cries back in return.

"Eiri Yuki and Shuichi Shindou close!" Someone in the audience yelled out and the crowd began to go wild with that little piece of information, while as Shu had turned bright red and Eiri was glaring daggers at the TV.

"I believe Yuki-san and Shindou-kun have us beat in that aspect." Tachibana smiled politely as they awaited an answer. "But we are VERY close. I am…" He sighed softly. "A little appalled of what Tohma is doing, charging headlong into things without planning them out. I think his ingenious mind is slipping a bit in his old age."

"Turn it off." Ryu growled and Tohma quietly did so, looking over at the dark-haired man sympathetically.

Ryuichi was blushing heavily, eyes watering up with tears though he was shaking he was so completely pissed off. "I am sorry Ryu. I know that this song meant a lot to you. And not only did Tachibana expose it, he ridiculed it. Along with various other things." The stress-marks off the back of Tohma's head clearly showed he was not happy in the slightest about being called 'old' either. "He will get what he deserves, I assure you."

The heavy silence in the room was cut by the sound of the phone on the table going off, and Tohma didn't even acknowledge it until it hit the fifth ring and then leaned back out of frustration and anger and hit the SPEAKER button. "Toko this better be good." Tohma replied sweetly in that tone that was a clear sign not to mess with him.

"It's your wife on the phone sir. She's…calling from Hygeia Okubo Hospital in Shinjuku."

At that the entire room froze. Tohma gritted his teeth, leaning closer to the unit. "Patch me through immediately!" He demanded.

The line clicked over and there was dead air for a long moment before the sound of the hospital in the background came to life and feminine sobbing on the other side. Mika was crying.

"Mika!" Tohma called into the speaker, brows furrowed, cyan eyes wide as he leaned in to speak to her.

"Oh! Tohma, thank god." She spoke up her voice stiff and wavering from crying. "I'm sorry." This was not like Mika at all. Not like her to crumble like this. She was a pillar of absolute strength, the connecting bridge between the siblings. Eiri had taken off his glasses and brushed past Shuichi to stand at the tableside and listen in.

"Mika, what's going on? What happened?" The taller blonde asked in his deep voice.

The sniffling stopped for a second. "Eiri, you're there too." It was a statement and nothing else. She paused and then said softly. "It's Tatsuha."

At that Shuichi glanced to Ryuichi and Ryu blinked, his cerulean eyes wide. Immediately, he began unraveling the barriers he had placed in his head to avoid reading Tatsuha's thoughts, to give the man space so that he could figure things out on his own and he wouldn't be invading his privacy. With the barriers removed, there was nothing there, but a big empty hold that he could feel the heavy darkness of, a line severed to his mental path. It was like…he was gone.

The young man flew past Noriko to the table, pushing the chairs aside to get closer to the telephone. "Mika-san, what happened? What happened to Tatsuha?" He pressed and the two blondes exchanged a knowing look.

"Oh…no…Sakuma…" Mika started to cry harder, her words blurring together. She seemed to be crying for him, and it was only after Eiri prodded again that she finally started explaining. "…We were on the highway…and we were ambushed…by your kind. They…they…"

"Mika, they what!" Tohma demanded as Ryuichi's blue eyes teared up. This was not good. Vampires attacked during the day, knowing the sacrifice to themselves? Tachibana's powers had definitely had spread.

"The motorcycle…His motorcycle ran into a dividing wall…" She sobbed "…at about 80 MPH. K pulled his burning body from the wreck as the ambulances got there… but…he's gone…Tatsuha's…dead."

**Chapter Five End**

Author's Notes #2: So, oooh, you guys were left on a Cliffhanger! But before you start throwing the pots and pans at me, demanding I post as quick as possible, I thought I'd let you know that I've done you all a little kindness. Since I tricked you into reading this sad, action-packed depressing chapter, I figured I'd treat you as well; with letting you know that the PREVIEW for Chapter Six is already posted on my blog, which can be found on my profile link on I'm not posting a preview for the chapter here since I'm giving away to much info in that preview anyways! All I can tell you is that it will be worth waiting for! Until I write again!

Sora Tokumi Kazuma


	6. Chapter 6

Idol of Song, Creature of Night 

Gravitation

Date Started: October 31, 2006

Sora Kazuma

**Chapter Six: Darkness Reborn**

"But…he's gone…Tatsuha's…dead."

The words resounded threw the room echoing with the heavy silence that seemed to drift over everyone. For a moment, Shuichi was not even sure if anyone was even breathing because the mortals within the confines of the meeting room had all stopped, frozen in that second of time. Even the drone of the hospital behind them had faded away into nothingness and Mika's sobs had stilled.

Everyone was waiting, waiting for the explosion, the bomb to go off. They were waiting for this fact to sink in to reality. All eyes were on Ryuichi to know what he would simply do. And no one dared speak.

The sound that broke the stillness was not outrage or anger, but rather the heavy heart-wrenching sob that had managed to break out of Ryu's throat. He had shut his eyes tightly and dropped his head, long dark locks of chocolate brown hair shadowing and hiding his beautiful face as the tears threatened to fall.

"Ryu…"

A pair of slender arms wrapped around him from behind hugging him tightly. It was Noriko, her bright big eyes already brimming over tears and running down her pale face. "Ryu, I'm so sorry…"

The fact that Noriko was crying was only doing more to urge on Ryuichi's tears, but he blushed slightly, grateful for a little bit of comfort. His body was still undergoing intense shock of that news and he could feel himself growing suddenly weaker. All at once, he growled and bit at his lower lip until his lengthened fangs had punctured holes in the delicate skin and crimson trickled from the corner of his mouth. "Why?!" He cried, shaking terribly. "Why did it have to be-"

Another pair of arms wrapping around him cut off his words before he could finish his sentence. This time it was Shuichi, yet again in tears and clinging to his side, his arms curling around the man's shoulders. "Sakuma-san…" He didn't know what else to say other then to try and comfort him. For once Shuichi's big mouth was out of random ideas and his heart and body felt heavy. It was probably Eiri's strong mental reassurance and calm and collected attitude that was keeping him from falling completely apart, but it was evident that even Eiri was shaken to the core.

"We'll be there soon Mika." Tohma spoke up to his wife, his boyish voice velvet soft as he closed his teal eyes to avoid showing his sadness.

"I'll see you then." She replied as strongly as she could, knowing that there were others out there mourning the loss of her little brother just as much as she was if not more.

Ryu's sobs got louder as the phone clicked and returned to its dial tone and he shakily wrapped an arm around his friends. "Noriko, Shu…" He managed between sharp teeth, and outrageous anger and grief. "Thank you…"

He let go of them after a moment and stepped back, wiping at his eyes repeatedly to try and stop the torrent of tears. Eiri had stepped out of the room and Shuichi had reluctantly followed after him, leaving the whole of Nittle Grasper by themselves.

Tohma straightened up and stood from where he was, coming over to his friend, hiccupping and trying his best not to crumble when there were other things that needed to be taken care of. He lifted a hand, fingers running along Ryu's cheek, watching as those slitted eyes looked up at him, deep dark ocean blue around red rims, the eyes of an animal, a beast and nothing capable of being human. "I promise you, I will not let it end like this." He told him, and all the self-control in the world could not stop the wave of emotion that leaked out with those words. However reserved Seguchi Tohma was, he was cut up inside by this set of events. "I've failed you again Ryu, and I let the one you cared for most slip from this world. It's because of me he's gone. I wasn't careful enough-"

A hand came up overtop of Tohma's, shaking as it slid along the smooth skin. "Tohma, you've never failed me. You've…been the best friend a guy could ask for. You've done nothing wrong." His voice was calm, soft, and monotone, quite the contrast to his appearance at the moment. He looked the part of a mourning vampire, transformed for them to see. "It was Hideo. He was the one who has done all of this." It was more a statement then a question. "He will die." Another absolute resolution that allowed no room for disobedience.

Tohma gave a small nod of his head. "I agree." He replied confidently. "But there will be time for that later. For now…let's take care of Tatsuha."

This time it was Ryu who gave a stiff nod of his head and let his hand cover his face, hiding his demonic eyes and sharp teeth as he continued to sob. Noriko loosely clung to him; her arm wrapped around him the way a mother would try to comfort a frightened child. No one knew what to do for now and it was only by Tohma's digression that they made a move to leave.

Meanwhile Shuichi had followed Eiri out of the room, sensing the overwhelming emotions conflicting in his lover's head and afraid for anyone who might happen to be in the blonde's way at the moment.

Turning the corner, he caught sight of his lover just as Yuki hauled off and hit the wall with enough force to put his fist straight through it as if it were paper. The impact was deafening, sending workers scattering in their wake to get away from this man. "YUKI!" Shuichi cried out in alarm, racing down the hall towards him, seriously fearing now for anyone around them. However by the time he got to his lover, he could see that the large form had slumped against the wall and those broad shoulders were trembling. It didn't happen often, but Eiri Yuki was reduced to tears.

"I…changed my Uesugi name long ago, because it's a curse." He spoke softly, his deep voice raspy and hoarse as he silently sobbed. "When Kitazawa had found out…"

Shuichi winced at the sound of that name, but he stepped closer. "Yuki, found out what? What happened?" He asked softly. He thought he had heard that entire story, but evidently there was something…something that had been left out, for reasons unknown.

The tall gorgeous blonde merely shook his head. "I…would have rather taken the name of a monster then the name of a demon." Was all he managed to get out. "And I freed myself from it. But Tatsuha…now Tatsuha has to deal with that name…"

This was all a mystery to Shuichi, but the sight of Yuki in tears and the grief he could feel being unleashed over their mental bond made him act a little stronger. He was not the only one in pain. "Eiri…" He whispered and stepped closer, wrapping his small arms around the much taller man's neck. He almost never called Yuki by his first name and he could count the occasions he had before on one hand. But to him it was the most important name, not Yuki revived from Kitazawa's dying memory, or Uesugi, the family name he had tried so hard to be rid of. Coming from Shuichi it sounded so endearing and sweet and loving, not at all like it was when his family was referring to him by his first name.

Yuki heard it too, the soft tone of voice and it made those golden eyes widen a little despite his tears. Without much thought and a broken guard pierced by his lover's concern, he wrapped his arms tightly around the smaller boy, holding him to him as he managed to cry.

Shuichi smiled against Yuki's shirt, closing his violet eyes. This was a sign their relationship was still patching itself together, bit by bit, and they were still making steady progress. He said nothing, just merely let the tears get out, so that Yuki could rebuild up his strength and composure and they could move on with the others. The most difficult part had yet to come.

--

Tohma and Noriko had a car waiting for them to take them to the hospital. Meanwhile Ryuichi had taken to the early night air, flying through the cool breeze with a determination and a resolve. His wounded aura was reinforced by a strong territorial barrier that clearly stated tonight of all nights was not the night to fuck with him. He could feel lesser vampires out on the hunt and they carefully avoided him, taking other paths then the one Ryu had made to head straight to Shinjuku.

He was aware when Shuichi and Yuki took to the air some time later, just as he was arriving at the hospital. Shifting back into a human form in an empty hospital room, he walked out of the darkened area and almost straight into a nurse who was entirely caught off guard by his movements.

She blushed hotly, flustered by this turn of events. "Sakuma-san!" She breathed, her dark eyes wide in disbelief.

"Yeah, sorry…" He murmured, trying his best to make conversation. He could only give a weak smile and nod his head as tears still threatened to spill. "Uhm, I'm looking for Seguchi Mika…I kinda wandered off and got lost." He replied softly.

The nurse nodded, her expression completely one of sympathy. "Come on now dear, this way." She motioned for him to follow her downstairs, stopping to get directions at the desk before she took him into a small empty waiting room on the basement floor where Mika was sitting, holding Kairu in her arms. K was leaning against the wall, blue eyes staring blankly at the front door. "Here you are."

At the sound of the voice, the two in the room started, looking up at the one entering. The nurse hesitated for just a moment before she backed off and left Ryuichi alone in the doorway with these two. No one else had shown up yet and it was just the three of them alone.

"Mika-san…K…" Ryu swallowed and all at once the tears were falling again. "I'm sorry! If Tatsuha and I had never fought, this would have never happened!"

Mika huffed softly, but she sat Kairu down on the long bench beside her and stood up. Ryu cowered a little bit despite himself, afraid she would place the blame entirely on him for what had happened, but she made her way over to him and swiftly wrapped her arms around him. "It would have happened regardless, because that bastard had already planned it this way. It's not your fault." She had the same haughty tone as ever, but she too was crying.

"Mika-san…" He barely got out, clutching her shirt as he wept again. Despite everything, he felt as if he were accepted into Tatsuha's family. He felt like he was one of them and not simply Tohma's best friend. And having someone there to comfort you when you were going through hell was something Ryu had never really had and was ecstatically grateful for now.

"The rest of our group has arrived." K quietly stated, watching as Tohma and Noriko came into the lobby, Shuichi and Yuki close behind.

"Tohma!" Mika crumbled like a little schoolgirl and gave Ryu one last squeeze before dashing over to her husband, who was looking as if he was doing his best not to spill into tears. To Ryu's amazement, Yuki's amber eyes were glossy and he looked as if he had just spilled a bucket of tears too.

Shuichi brushed past the others and made his way to Ryuichi who was still standing awkwardly in the doorway between this area and the rest of the hospital near the stairwell. When Shu gave him a small consoling smile, Ryu lunged forward and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy, bursting back in to sobs. He just needed something to hold onto right now to know this was what had really happened.

Tohma was comforting Mika and explaining to K, who had taken a blow to the pride, that this was no one's fault and that they would do something about it later on when a time to grieve was over.

"Has anyone looked at the body?" Yuki asked in his quiet deep voice, the only strong statement among tired and weary minds.

K blinked at him. "Not since I pulled it from the wreckage."

Mika shook her head, which was buried up against Tohma's shoulder. "I couldn't do it Eiri…I didn't want to see Tatsuha that way." Her answer was muffled against the cloth of his shirt.

This answer seemed to annoy Yuki greatly because he gritted his teeth and huffed loudly. "How do we even know it's him then, or if he's really dead for that matter."

"His heart had stopped Eiri." Mika lifted her head, teary slate blue eyes looking at her brother in weak defiance. "They pronounced him dead on the way to the hospital."

Those words seemed to let the heavy weight fall again over everyone and Shuichi despite himself seemed to lose control of his emotions and was silently crying again. Tatsuha was gone- it was a fact.

Still Eiri seemed to ignore that information as if it didn't matter. "I'll go…by myself." He growled, pushing past the others who were standing around in the morgue area. "You..." He rolled his eyes, a little red from crying and continued down the dimly lit hallway into the last room on the right.

Shuichi watched him go, the tears still streaming down his face, holding Ryu who was letting a fresh flood of tears out, his entire body trembling to the point that Shu feared it would never stop. They were clinging to each other, needing something to hold onto to realize this wasn't just a terrible dream.

The minutes seemed like hours and finally there was movement in the hallway. One of Eiri's arms poked out of the doorway and beckoned them to follow after him. The group hesitantly moved, Ryuichi's face buried against Shu's shoulder. He didn't want to look. Mika stayed behind with Kairu, holding her baby in her arms who was sobbing merely because his mother and father were in tears.

The room was sparce except for a metal table that the body was lying on and Eiri met them in the doorway. "It's my brother." He nodded softly, though his golden eyes were dancing with something, whirling and glinting with some sort of knowledge. "Sakuma." He spoke up, trying to get his attention. "I know this is going to be difficult but I'm going to need you to look at him. Because…"

Tohma finally caught on and his mouth dropped. Cyan eyes blinked wide and he pushed past the novelist into the room. "Eiri are you certain-" He trailed off and then there was a choked sob from his throat.

Ryuichi cringed and hugged Shuichi tighter. "I don't wanna see him like this! I don't wanna know!" He cried.

"Yuki, Seguchi-san, what is-" Shuichi started but was cut off when Eiri pried Ryuichi off him and snatched him into his strong arms. "Y-Yuki! You can't make him see! You," He started and was once again silenced by those golden eyes narrowing on him.

Ryu blinked and then squirmed trying to get away, his fangs lengthening and his pupils returned to their "normal" slit-like state. "Let me go! You can't do this!"

Yuki growled. "Look you moron, it's not what you think! Give me a damn moment to explain!"

At that Ryuichi blinked at him, and then blushed as he put him down in front of the table. The tears started flowing again as he turned his head to glance down at the broken and bruised body. The charred remains of what was left, the nasty gash in the shoulder and the greasy black hair pushed back against a nasty head wound and the smoldered locks that had caught flame. The vampire felt his heart crumble into little pieces seeing the blackened face of the body, almost unrecognizable except for the strong heavy jaw and the curve of the nose. He lifted his hands to the boy's face, fingers sliding along the sticky, hardened cheek. "My Tatsuha." He whimpered.

As he laid his palm against the flesh there was a spark there that made him recoil as if the body had started to move and he blinked his blue eyes wide, noting the feel of the presence that had come flooding into him. That was Tatsuha's psychic link, his very essence he felt on the body. Such a strong current…it could not belong to any deceased being!

Eiri smiled triumphantly at that. "I think Tohma's found it." He said, gesturing to the other blond who was trying his best to unsmudge the black on the body around an elaborate scarlet circle inked into the flesh in the boy's wrist. It was an intricate little design of woven bands, a bracelet almost inserted into the skin.

"Yuki…what…is going on?" Shuichi watched, violet eyes wavering as he glanced at Ryuichi's frozen startled reaction and the red band.

"The Uesugi family is powerful. You knew all that knowing that Tatsuha and my father are Buddhist monks. What you don't know is that the Uesugi family was spawned from demons originally, and it has been passed down through our blood along the way. Roughly a quarter of our family branching down is pure demon blood. We are kin to the vampires…and we succumb quite easily to becoming their kind. Half demons are, if you think about it, greedy halflings with a heart and conscious. My family hunts ghosts and foul creatures because we know that they exist. We're spawned from them." He took out a cigarette and lit it, which only furthered the stench of flame in the room. "What Tatsuha used was a matter of condensing his soul. It's a rather delicate and difficult defense mechanism that undead can use freely having learned it. Knowing that his body was going through tremendous trauma, he locked his soul away in the furthest recesses of his mind and body until his body could be repaired. This leaves us with two options. Repair his body physically," He took a drag and let the smoke out into the room, all the while staring at Ryuichi. "Or you convert him into a vampire and he is reborn as a full demon of darkness."

"So he's still alive?" Ryuichi said looking over at the blond hopefully. That was probably all he got out of the conversation anyway in this much shock and pain. Tatsuha was a halfbreed and could become a vampire. He could save him.

"Wait, woah, woah. A conversion? In his state? There's no telling he'd live!" Shuichi exclaimed. "And why didn't you mention any of this sooner?!"

"True, there's no telling he'd live to become a vampire. He could die during the conversion. But this is my little brother we're talking about here. And it never really came up in conversation that my family was hell spawn." Eiri shrugged casually before he looked at Ryu. "He's alive…for as long as his spell holds out. And only Tatsuha knows the answer to that one. So what do we do Sakuma? As owner of his heart, this is your decision to make. We find a doctor crazy enough to operate on a virtual corpse, or you take the risk."

Ryu glanced between the lifeless body and the others, who were all waiting around for his answer. The vampire glanced back at his lover's face. He wanted to see those dark eyes on him again, know their warmth and see their love. He wanted him alive and well again, to hold and touch and kiss. He wanted him back. He swallowed the fear and sorrow in his throat and looked a little unsurely at Eiri but he managed a tiny weak smile. "It's a risk I'm going to have to take."

That answer seemed to pull a small smile off of Eiri's pale lips and he breathed out another wisp of smoke. "Good." He put out the butt of the cindering cigarette and tossed the smoldering bit blindly into the metal sink on the sidewall. "Tohma, I'll need you to get the official clearance to move the body." He moved to the doorway and called out to the two others who made their way down the hall reluctantly, Mika cradling Kairu to her breast comfortingly as she averted her eyes. Her little brother had blocked the doorway with his body allowing her at least a little comfort of the battered corpse lying on the table. His voice dropped softly as he explained the situation, those in the room knowing that he had told her everything when the small gasp and choked sob of relief fought their way out of her hoarse throat. Shuichi watched his lover softly give the two orders and let them on their way, while Tohma had already pulled out his cell phone and contacted the hospital on his own, standing off in a corner of the room by himself.

Bad Luck's lead singer turned his amethyst gaze from the handsome blonde back to the table, where Ryu had not moved, glued to its side, his fingers combing back sticky strands of raven bangs on Tatsuha's face, plastered together with blood, sweat and grease. The tears were still trickling down along his gorgeous face, but his cerulean eyes had come to life again with the hope of what was going to happen and he did not look so lost before. Rather, he looked lovingly at the dead body lying in front of him, those big blue eyes soft and affectionate as if he were trying to comfort the soul locked within it.

Shu took a few steps toward him then, his movements slow and careful as to not want to set off anything Ryu might do in such an emotional state. "Can you hear his voice?" He asked curiously, big purple eyes glancing at his idol.

Ryuichi lifted his head and batted his fine lashes as if he was just registering there were still other people in the room. The blinking only produced more tears and he quickly wiped them away, smudging black charcoal across the bridge of his nose and his cheek. "Oh…no…I can't hear him." He replied quietly, with a broken voice that reflected his crushed heart. However he managed a small quirk of a smile. "Though I can feel his presence. His aura is still there. Tatsuha's gonna be okay."

The strong confidence in his voice then startled his friend. Knowing that he had a second chance was all that Ryu needed. He was not going to allow things to go wrong ever again, and he would rightfully protect what was his. Tatsuha was all that mattered.

Despite himself, Shu found himself smiling back. "You're right. We're going to protect Tatsuha, and we'll bring him back."

"All of the little details have been taken care of." Tohma replied, slipping his cell phone back into the inside pocket of his impressive jacket, now soiled at the cuffs with black grease.

"From here, where to?" Shuichi asked, breaking the awkward silence, not knowing exactly what to say or do otherwise.

"Ryu's place." K and Mika were back in the doorway, looking a little more assertive themselves. "It's probably the most well-guarded building in Tokyo, and no doubt Ryu will need him there, right?" Mika replied, slate blue eyes glancing at the handsome vampire.

"No." Tohma shook his head. "A gathering at Ryu's would look far to suspicious." Cyan eyes glanced between their little group, and he motioned for everyone to move closer together so he could drop his voice. "The entire reason this happened is so there would be nothing in the way of Tachibana reclaiming control over Ryuichi. We cannot think for a moment he has retreated and stopped attacking just because he believes Tatsuha's dead. If he knew what we did, this hospital would no longer be standing here."

Violet eyes glanced over at him, surprised with that. Tohma was ingenious, there was no getting around that, but sometimes he was a little creepy. "Just how much do you know anyway?" He asked in envy, knowing that the secrets trapped in that mind were pieces of Eiri's past that even Shuichi had no idea about.

As always NG's president flashed his charming half smile. "More then you'll ever know in a lifetime." He said in the most calm and collected voice. "But we can go over that another time." It was obvious Tohma was not in a good mood and it grated Shu's irritation with such an arrogant reply.

"You can have your jealous fight later." Mika hissed at them both, to which Tohma courteously apologized and Shuichi half-cowered behind Eiri, peeking out behind the gorgeous blonde with big watery amethyst eyes. Sighing, she looked up at her brother. "Do you have any idea?" She asked.

Golden eyes stared back at her for a second and his face remained an expressionless mask before he gave a small huff and rolled those pretty amber orbs. "Shuichi and I will take Tatsuha back to our place. Mika, you take Kairu home and wait for word from Tohma. Tohma will return to NG studios and resume his duties." That hot gaze turned, looking back at his lover with a contemplative furrow of his fine brow. "Shuichi, do you think the rest of your crazy band would be willing to help us?"

"Huh?" Shu batted delicate lashes, staring up at him. He knew that Eiri disliked Hiro for being so close to him and complained off and on about how the band was always taking up their time, but it must have really been important for him to ask for their help. "Why do you need them?"

There was a narrowed glare in his direction and Eiri growled, annoyed already. "Because they're the only ones crazy enough to help me out with something like this." He replied, before glancing over to Tohma for support. "What do you think?"

"I think if they value their jobs, they'll be here as quickly as possible." Tohma replied, looking at Eiri curiously. It was evident everyone in the group was wondering what he was planning.

And so Hiroshi and Suguru were there, puzzled and irritated with suddenly being shipped out of the studios with little word why. "Hiro!" Shuichi ran to him, grateful his friend had showed up and needing another shoulder to cry on.

It was apparent Nakano was baffled as to why he was there because he merely batted his dark red lashes as he was tackled by his best friend. "Shuichi, what's happened?" He asked, glancing not at the pink-haired boy huggling him, but rather at the group standing in the empty hallway in bewilderment.

Suguru, who had looked generally pissed off coming in was now wearing a rather sad and confused look himself. "Has someone…"

No body said anything for a moment and finally Ryuichi spoke up. "It's Tatsuha."

Immediately a look of realization crossed Hiroshi's face and he glanced at Ryu and then Eiri and Mika. It was obvious he too must have known some of what had been going on the last couple of days or so, no doubt from Shuichi's big mouth. Bowing his head, long strands of silky maroon red hair slipped over his shoulders. "I'm deeply sorry." He said, in a tone that sincerely meant it.

"Don't be." Eiri said coldly, in the same tone he always addressed Hiro in. "The situation's not as bad as you would think, but it's very complicated."

"We need a favor out of the two of you." Tohma chimed in lightly, though he hardly looked the polite and sweet boss everyone knew him to be.

Very carefully the plan was discussed between their small group, almost wordlessly as the members of Bad Luck could confer with each over psychically and back and forth between Eiri and Ryuichi. Finally when details were worked out, several spells were put in place around certain individuals and for better or worse, the plot was set into motion.

Eiri had still been hovering in the doorway and he gave a small nod of his head in approval, slipping off his own jacket and dropping it carelessly over his lover's shoulders, the clothing easily twice the size of what Shu would need. "Watch that. Sakuma, grab a couple of those blankets off the shelf over there." He ordered hastily stalking up to the table.

Ryu wordlessly did what was ordered, watching as K and Yuki wrapped the body up from head to two until the corpse looked more like a mummy then anything else. A sheet was thrown lightly around it as Eiri lifted Tatsuha into his arms lightly and the group proceeded from the empty room now swirling with the stench of burning flesh.

Several cars had been called out front to escort the others home. Tohma wished everyone the best of luck and left in his limousine. Yuki and Shuichi had another car that would take them and Suguru to Eiri's place, while Hiro waved them goodbye and hopped on his motorcycle to follow the car out of the hospital circle. Shuichi was in no mood to be left alone that night.

The last car was for a very quiet and distraught Ryuichi who was watching the second car disappear off into the line of ever flowing traffic. K was solemn beside him and urged him into the car with a small push of his hand. It automatically got him a glare, from which the American sheepishly grinned and everyone moved on their separate ways.

The apartment building where Ryu's penthouse was nestled was rather quiet, and the two coming in from their ride across the city were rather grateful. The guards in the lobby nodded to the two who were coming in and allowed them into the inner halls where the elevator was waiting.

"I think…this is a little foolish if you ask me." Ryuichi admitted softly, hand resting on the mirrored glass wall as the counter flew by with the passing floors.

"We're merely baiting a trap. Don't worry." K replied with a small calm smile. Blue eyes looked over at the other man for a moment before he growled and glanced at the doors as they slowly dinged and opened out onto the top floor.

Cerulean eyes blinked up at the pair like his. "K-K…?"

"You know that trap I was talking about?" The handsome blonde said in a tone that meant business. "Come on."

He grabbed Ryuichi and pulled him out of the elevator as if it was about ready to plummet to the bottom floor without brakes. The long corridor was empty as it should be with the door to the penthouse at the opposite end. However those eyes were looking at it as if the entire area was filled with the enemy.

"H..K-K!" Ryu hissed but did not fight being dragged down the hall until they were at the door. Once his wrist was released from that grip he huffed and fixed the sleeve of his long sleeved shirt while the blonde opened the penthouse door.

The spacious living room area was well-lit with a few taper lamps and candles set on the glass table in the living room flickering in the silent air. At the sound of the door opening, a tall figure stood up from the couch, a gorgeous man with shaggily cut silver hair and sea green eyes that seemed to reflect light like his hair did. His mouth was set in a small warm smile that suddenly tightened when he saw the blonde standing there beside the smaller darker-haired man. "Ryuichi, welcome home. K-san," He said with a small nod of his head and a glance in his direction. "If you wouldn't mind leaving us?"

Not even the blonde could comprehend this. Here it was Ryu had lost someone dear to him and this man had turned the place into a cozy little retreat as if two lovers were getting their first night alone in a long time. What Shuichi had said was right. This man had no feelings for anyone, least of all Sakuma.

"What's all of this?!" Claude demanded hotly, gritting his teeth as he stared furiously at the man in front of them. "And why are you here?!"

Obviously impatient with having to deal with people, Tachibana gracefully raised a hand and waved it aside, expecting to toss the tall blonde through a nearby wall like a ragdoll. However nothing happened and although there was a certain strain on the American's body, he did not move.

"Oh no…" Ryuichi gasped, looking up at the taller man, watching as the guard around him and his hair faded from the lovely shade of pure gold to glossy maroon red.

Hideo however busted out with light laughter. "I see. So it was not K-san after all, but a faithful dog sent in his place. Makes it easy to see that's not Ryu either, eh, Fujisaki-kun?"

Big blue eyes widened and despite himself the second wolf in sheep's clothing stepped back, knowing that such a movement would completely give him away.

"Charming. Echo's pets…I never thought I'd get to meet all of you so soon. Shindou-kun was more then enough fun." Tachibana crossed his arms over his impressive chest. "No doubt he and Yuki-san were the ones who sent you here for some reason. Does Ryu not want to see me that much, or is their something else on your minds?"

Hiro growled at the push into his thoughts, a deliberate hack into his emotions and memories of the last few hours and clutching his forehead. It was done to hurt, and the searing pain pulsing through his skull was proof enough of that. He threw out one hand and an instant rejected his presence, raising his head and glaring at the tall man standing in front of him.

This however, only seemed to provoke his opponent, who grinned in satisfaction. "It's about time one of you showed a little backbone."

"Nakano, this is not what we planned!" Fujisaki snapped, half irritated with the situation, half afraid. Yuki had given them specific orders to flee if this sort of event occurred. Standing up to him was only going to get them in the same position as Uesugi-san, if not worse.

"I'm only going to ask this once boys, and I'd make sure you answer correctly. Where is Sakuma Ryuichi?" Tachibana said in the same tone a parent would use to scold a couple of guilty children, however the look he was giving them was probably one a serial killer wore the moment before he made committed another murder-cold and calm, except for those eyes, which were lit with an extraordinary gleam in the glow of the nearby candles.

"Who wants to know?"

A pair of arms wrapped around Hiro's shoulders from behind, hugging him tightly. Confused and instantly surprised, the redhead jerked his head up and back to stare at a pair of beautiful purple-gray eyes shadowed by shaggy strands of glossy raven hair. The facial structures were so familiar that he muttered the name before he even realized it had escaped his mouth. "Tatsuha?"

That sort of answer instantly turned that malicious look on Hideo's face to utter disgust and anger. He glared at the newcomer and asked in a deep flat voice. "And you are?"

Meanwhile the dark-haired young man only chuckled. "Sorry cutie, wrong man." He winked at Hiroshi before he let him go. "Forgive my manners, they left me long ago." He bowed low like a gallant knight, arm sweeping up against his chest. "Uesugi Katsura. At your service."

"Uesugi?!" Fujisaki blinked, genuinely surprised. Even Tachibana seemed to recoil at the name.

"Honestly, do you have to make a scene?"

Another deep voice resounded down the hall, the welcoming of another handsome man with eyes black as the night and soft pale chestnut hair. He was taller then the first, looked almost like Eiri in appearance, and it seemed, personality as well.

"Ni-sama!" Katsura pouted. "Do you have to be so mean?" He countered lightly in a playful voice. His oddly colored eyes brushed over his older brother and turned to look back into the penthouse. "Tachibana-sama! You are not welcome here right now. If you could go back to doing whatever you vampies do all night long, it'd be most appreciated." Knowing that that was taken against more then one in the group, he smiled at Hiroshi. "No offense babe."

Even with being bisexual, Hiro's cheeks flushed slightly at that one. This was a first, even between everything that had happened between him and Shuichi. It almost sounded sweet, and he had to shake his head slightly. The guy looked too much like Tatsuha and Yuki and that was waaaay to creepy.

However, the second man with the pale hair had interjected immediately. "We're here to deliver a message from Sakuma-san." He replied bluntly. "He doesn't want to see you. He wants you to finish your business in Japan and leave the country as quickly as possible." He paused. "You've hurt one of our own. Regardless of your personal feelings Sakuma-san is under our protection now. Any further interference with him will be taken as another strike against the Uesugi clan."

Tachibana hissed through gritted teeth, but nonetheless he smiled. "I see. Fine. Goodnight gentlemen." His words were short and curt, however he bowed nonetheless. The lights faded and the candles diminished into wisps of smoke as the figure swept back into the shadows and left the penthouse yet again in darkness.

Suguru slump up against the wall while Hiro let out and obvious held breath. "Thank you for that." The redhead barely got out of his mouth before he was pounced backward by the man with dark hair and pale eyes.

"It's Nakano Hiroshi from Bad Luck! I can't believe it! My name's Uesugi Katsura and I'm your biggest fan!" He cried, all starry-eyed and grinning from ear to ear.

"Uh…did the last five minutes just NOT happen?" Fujisaki huffed, watching his comrade getting mauled by the handsome young man. He growled when he got no answer and glared over at the taller of the two. "And who are you anyway?!"

Those dark onyx eyes glanced at him, sucking him in like a black hole. "Uesugi Ichiro." He made a small gesture with one of his hands. "That one's big brother."

"Huh?" Katsura blinked, lifting his head where he was cuddling Hiro. "Oh! Yeah." He smiled brightly, like a kid with a new toy. He let the redhead go, who was still trying to deal with being overtaken like that…it reminded him entirely of Shuichi. "Mika-chan sent us. We're here as your back up to make sure nothing happens to you guys."

"Now that Tachibana knows something's going on, I'd say the others are in danger as well. I think it's best to return to Eiri's place for the time being." Ichiro replied quietly. "Diversion or not, it didn't work as well as we had thought it would."

"You guys are vampies like Shindou-kun right?" Katsura beamed pulling on Hiro's arm. "Getting across town from here should be a piece of cake. Let's go! I wanna see Eiri-chan and Shindou-kun as soon as possible!"

--

To Shuichi's surprise, the house was well lit when they returned home and instantly suspicion rose in the eyes of the singer. Ryu, who was cloaked as Fujisaki was following close to Shu and despite his best appearances was still looking a bit cryish, not at all the strict formal hard ass that was Bad Luck's keyboard and synth player.

Eiri, still carrying the body, tossed the keys to Shu who quickly unlocked the door and opened it in the way the FBI did when they ransacked a house. It didn't help that they had K, in Hiro's appearance, with a hand on the gun, busting in right behind him.

The spacious and sparse living room area was clear, however there was a visitor sitting on the couch, arms folded across their chest and legs crossed, looking very much asleep. At the sound of the door flying back on it hinges and slamming into the wall they sat up with a start blinking fine lashes.

At first look, Shuichi was dead sure it was a girl. Long silky hair, of the most beautiful and odd shade of pale silver blue, a soft jaw and high cheek bone and full pale lips. The eyes were a dazzling shade of platinum white, the pupils dark so that it was almost instantly puppy-dog eyes. The body was tall and lean with a bit of muscle to it, broad shoulders and slender hips and long well-built forearms, however most of that was hidden inside the confines of a baggy black trenchcoat. Violet eyes stared up at the pale ones, though not by much. This person had to be Ryuichi's height or an inch taller because Eiri had half a head over him.

"Who…who are you?" The singer gawked at the beauty of the figure in front of them, though Eiri seemed to be oblivious to their looks, barely batting an eye in this presence. "Yuuukkkiiiii, how dare you bring a girl home! Or do you work for Tachibana, huh? Get the heck out of my house!"

"He's one of them Shu." Ryuichi murmured quietly. "He's like Yuki-san and Tatsuha."

At that Shuichi double-blinked and his jaw hit the floor, quite literally clanking on the wooden boards. "You're a GUY?!" He had not seen that coming.

"Will you be at least a little bit more respectful?" Eiri growled. "You'll give Gramps a heartattack."

At that even Ryuichi froze, and he looked at Shuichi, who was starting to shake violently.

The man chuckled, his voice soft and deep, striking in everyone's mind like that of the famous novelist. He smiled pleasantly and bowed, long locks of hair slipping over his shoulders and framing his gorgeous face. "It's nice to meet all of you. I'm Uesugi Touya, Eiri's grandfather."

At that Shuichi combusted into flames and fell to the floor before his body rebuilt itself. "Y-Yuki, how is that possible? I know you're family's all demonic and stuff, but come on!" He reached into his wallet and pulled out a picture of and elderly couple sitting on a porch with a tabby cat in the woman's lap. "THESE are my grandparents. How can yours be…be…!"

"I have to admit, I'm amazed too." K said thoughtfully looking down at the beautiful man. "You don't look a day over twenty and you're better looking then most women in Japan."

"Thanks," He replied lightly. "But it's all natural. And before you start asking I'm not as flamboyant as you dear Shindou-kun…I've never worn a dress in my life."

"And you're straight." Shuichi sat back down on the floor. "That's it, my brain can't comprehend all this."

"How do you think I got here if he wasn't straight?" Yuki replied, disgusted with his lover's thoughtlessness.

"But I've seen Tatsuha's dad, and he's all…old and stuff. How come you're not, Touya-ojisan?" Ryuichi asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"The Uesugi family is not really consistent in its demonic powers. We mingle with humans far too much for the powers we have to be stable. My parents were of a human father and the spirit Yuki-Hime. However, my wife was a full blooded human. The family lines have been diluted for several years and as it is now its better to take every person as a case-by-case scenario. My sons and daughter have next to no powers, as does Mika-chan. However Eiri and Tatsuha's mother was a half demon herself, so it is not surprising they both harbor such skill. Eiri in particular has been able to harness such power since he was a small boy. And now Tatsuha's power has started to awaken." The last line was left in soft sadness and he looked over at Eiri with his white eyes. "We need to get underway with the procedure if we hope to save him."

"Shuichi-kun, can you get as many blankets as you can? K-san I would appreciate it if you could move the table out of the way and put it off in a corner. Eiri, you take care of the body. Ryuichi-kun, I'd like to speak to you in private."

Ryu nodded, swallowing knots of fear. "Y-Yes."

Shuichi shot him a sympathetic look, but watched at Touya wrapped a reassuring arm around the young vampire and escorted him out front on the porch. Gracefully, the Uesugi clans member left from the railing onto the porch above their heads and Ryuichi hesitantly followed so that they were standing up on top of the shingles above the Yuki home.

Feeling like he was about to get scolded, Ryu dropped his head and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry for what happened to Tatsuha!" He murmured quickly. "If he hadn't been close to me, this would have never happened!"

A hand reached out and rested lightly on his hand, running through the dark strands of chocolate hair. Startled by such a soft caress, those big blue eyes looked up at the man in front of him, startled to see him staring at him with a very worried and loving expression. "It was not your fault. It is never wrong to show affection to those you love. And Tatsuha and you love each other very much." He smiled slightly. "You are a very beautiful man Ryuichi-kun, and you have a very big heart. He was right to find someone like you."

His hand fell from where it was, though it fell now lightly on the boy's chin. "I want you to drink from me. You will need all the strength you can get, and forging a psychic path to my mind will keep you in contact with me at all times. My brothers and I are going to hold Tatsuha's body together with a containment spell of our own during the conversion. In all states, he is already dead. To get his body to transform and accept what is going on, you will need to connect with him and stabilize his spirit and his power while we attempt to control his body and allow the conversion to slip through without letting it rip him apart. It's going to be dangerous, and the most difficult parts are going to be orchestrated by you." His smile was growing. "I've heard you're the world's best singer. If you can perform a feat as great as that, I have confidence you will be able to do this."

"Touya-ojisan…" Ryuichi managed to smile up at him. "Thank you, for all your help."

"Don't mention it." He beamed, before pulling back the sleeve of his coat. "Here, so that we can get underway."

Grateful, Ryu bent his head, let his incisors lengthen and bit softly into the soft flesh, feeling the rush of warm life flood his mouth. Touya barely winced, closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh. He could feel the bridge connecting in his head and with it the rush of memories that would try to break out of the barrier the second the pathway was forged. In an instant the vampire was flooded with a century of pictures, of a life in the cold mountains, a young man who had fallen in love with a pretty woman of a distant family friend, watched as they walked down the streets very different from today's Tokyo. He saw the children born, happy memories of a couple so much in love and then the death of the beloved Mari, well into her fifties now and their oldest son and explosion that could only have happened during WWII. An outcast existence in the mountains, brightened with a visit from other worried family members.

When Ryuichi tore his head away, he fell to his knees, wiping at the tears flooding down his face. This man has lost the one he loved most because his own involvement with what was going on. And he had blamed himself for it everyday since it had happened. His stomach turned and he coughed through sobs, wiping at his face. "I'm sorry…" He apologized for breaking down like that, but it was frightening. If they couldn't save Tatsuha, would he do the same thing? Waste away into a timeless existence that never ended, where you had to endure the heartache everyday of knowing that you had been the one to lead to their fate?

"No, don't think like that." Touya said softly, kneeling down beside him. Ryu was ashamed of himself: there was a mental bridge there now and this man was perceptible enough to know how to use it. "We WILL save Tatsuha. You must believe that."

Nodding in agreement, Ryu picked himself up and regained his composure, looking up at the man confidently.

The sound of footsteps on the shingles made them turn sharply, but it was only Hiro and Fujisaki, accompanied by two men Ryu had never seen before. "Nice of you to join us." Touya smiled, welcoming the others.

"Sakuma-san, are you okay?" Hiro asked, noticing the glittering tears streaks on his face.

"Yeah." He nodded, flashing them a quick smile. "Shuichi's inside. He and Yuki-san probably need help."

"Why should we help them when they dragged us into this mess?" Fujisaki sneered, but couldn't argue anymore when Hiro dragged him off the roof and there was the audible sound of a door slamming shut minutes later.

"We were being followed here." Ichiro replied in the same calm, blunt tone. Immediately Ryu could feel the alarm out of everyone, connected to all of the immortals who were now gathered, through Shu's blood or Touya's. "They have not made any moves to attack us but regardless we are being watched."

'_Let them watch.'_ Eiri replied gruffly. '_If they interfere, they will die.'_

"I agree with that. The vampires seem to be able to track their own kind better then we can. I suppose I should leave this to you then Eiri?" Ichiro asked out loud, but the response echoed through all of their minds.

'_Understood.'_

"Sakuma-san," This time Ichiro addressed him alone, staring at the young man with his dark eyes. "Do you have a connected path with Tachibana? Can you tell where he is?"

Ryu shook his head. "I've never been good with tracking him…it is he who controls my blood and not the other way around." He replied lightly.

The brothers looked at one another but said nothing and it was only after Touya cleared his throat that they continued on. "Its about time we get inside and get this party started." The young man said, though in no way was it going to be anything light-hearted or carefree. Accompanied by the trio, Ryu made his way back into the apartment where he mentally braced himself for another glimpse of Tatsuha's charred body.

The living room had been transformed in such a small amount of time, a giant circular inscription carved into the floor by what looked like black charcoal and covered by a heap of blankets on which lay Tatsuha as cold and unmoving as ever. He was stopped by Shuichi at the door, who hurriedly inscribed a few of the markings on Ryu's face and arms as well. "To nullify the barrier we will build around him," Touya explained. "And stop its powers from spreading into you, since you and Tatsuha will be literally one mind throughout the conversion."

Shu was watching with big violet eyes wavering back and forth, but he said nothing as he stepped aside and let Ryuichi walk up to the circle that was built in the center of the room. Stepping gracefully onto the folded blankets, his feet barely moved over them as he looked at who was around them. Shuichi and Yuki-san were there, as were Nakano and Fujisaki. Members of the Uesugi clan were gathered around, and ever watchful reliant K was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed across his chest. Even though they weren't here, there was Tohma and Mika and Noriko too, placing their trust and faith in him. And Tatsuha, his poor beloved Tatsuha, who was locked away in a deep sleep unaware of the danger he was truly in. For his sake and for his own he could not afford to lose.

**Chapter Six End**

Author's Notes: So there you have it, a day before schedule no less! That's the good news. Bad news is I didn't cover as nearly as much as I wanted to. Before I knew it I had covered twenty pages and the sad thing I could easily cover another twenty before I finished where I wanted to get done. I'm prolonging all the sappiness I know…and I don't want Tatsuha "dead" for to long cuz I miss him. So the next chapter might be earlier then expected. We'll see what kind of time I have throughout the holiday mess.

Hmm, so Chapter Seven…bringing Tatsuha back to life would be the best of it, if Tachibana wouldn't interfere in ever little twist and turn. He's determined to take back what's 'his', even if it means war with the Uesugi clan. Eiri and Shuichi have no choice but to fight or it could mean the death of the one person Ryu holds most dear. With so much chaos on the line, who's worrying about the concert, which is looming in less then forty-eight hours away? Until I write again!

Sora Tokumi Kazuma


	7. Chapter 7

Idol of Song, Creature of Night 

Gravitation

Date Started: November 29, 2006

Sora Kazuma

**Chapter Seven: Dawn**

Ryu knelt down by the body, looking at it longingly with eyes shimmering shades of bright cerulean and deep dark sapphire. Nestled on a pile of blankets and mats within a giant chalk circle and painted with funny designs to shield himself from the spells, it was quite different from anything he had seen within his time as a vampire, that was for sure.

"How many blood exchanges have you shared with Tatsuha?" Ichiro asked, breaking the rather heavy silence that was steeped in the room.

The young singer was completely out of it, staring down at the body as he laid his hand gingerly on the covers across its chest, afraid that the slightest pressure would cause it to cave in and fade away. "One."

The man nodded, glancing at Eiri. "Two or Three?" It was more an order then a question and the blonde didn't even acknowledge his stare instead just huffing and shutting his eyes.

"Two. In his condition maybe three. What kind of time frame are we looking at?" He said finally.

"Depending on the conversion, six or seven hours." Touya murmured in his soft sweet voice. "We really can't tell and it's not like we've performed anything on this level before." His milky white eyes flashed to Ryu and managed to catch a second of the singer's dark blue ones. "We'll just have to hope for the best." He smiled slightly. "Nakano-san, Fujisaki-san, I am sure you have a blood link to Shindou-kun?"

Hiro and Suguru looked at each other and Shuichi before silently nodding. It wasn't something they wanted everyone to know about, this invisible thread between them that ran through their bodies, but they had used it once Fujisaki had been converted to keep track of each other so that stupid things did not happen (like Shuichi getting trapped in a portapotty five minutes before showtime) and they could always find one another.

The elder Uesugi's smile broadened a little. "We would like your help on stabilizing the barrier. It's not a difficult spell, and I'm sure if you've tampered with some of your magic, you will be able to at least give us a little support. Shindou-kun will be getting the information from Eiri and will then supply you with it."

Everything was so serious that Shuichi felt like his face was going to break into pieces and fall to the floor. He wanted things to get better and quick so that everyone would go back to smiling. And Sakuma…Sakuma-san looked as if he was going to fall apart any minute and join Tatsuha in his comatose state. It was so painful to watch he had to avert his violet eyes and he just beamed broadly at Touya who was giving out the orders. "I'll try my best. Let's all do what we can to bring Tatsuha back!"

"That's the spirit." Katsura managed a smile, sitting next to Ichiro. Despite his early energy, he had become drained with the difficult situation and was confused and torn with what was going on.

"I'll start." Ichiro bowed his head and closed his raven eyes, leaning forward so his fingertips fell into the chalk outlines on the floor. His deep voice started singing a soft haunting melody that echoed in the room, in a language not of Japanese, or English but a language Ryuichi had never heard. Surprised, the vampire lifted his head and blinked big blue eyes. The chalk lines from where he had touched were starting to glow a blue green underneath, pulsing outwards into the second tier of the design like a slow steady heartbeat.

Touya joined in next, his soft smooth tenor voice complimenting the deep baritone of his brother's. Yet again touching the design in front of him brought it to life with the same cyan glow, steadily spiraling outwards. Katsura waited for the long line to end before he joined in, his tone somewhere between the sibling and unifying the sound into one smooth and complete refrain. When the boy touched the circle this time, not only did it come to life, but the air in the room began to stir and the ground beneath Ryuichi seemed to hum and vibrate with a weak current. He glanced at the blankets beneath him, surprised he could feel it beneath the layers.

The next to join in was Eiri, which was quite a shock. Shuichi jerked his head up, violet eyes wide when he heard that deep voice join in with the long unknown chant, as if amazed his lover could even sing at all. Yuki had closed his eyes and tilted his head downwards, touching the circle with the tips of his fingertips. It wasn't a half-assed attempt either, it was a real sound coming out of his mouth, deep and flowing, and Shu was sure if he didn't have a cycle of information following in to his brain to focus on, he would have melted into the floor.

Meanwhile the current had built up and the breeze was beginning to cycle. The sound of a weakly beating heart caught his attention next and he jerked his head down, looking at amazement at the body. They were forcing it to move on their own. There was a trembling breath working it way out of those lips when Shuichi began to sing in his cute sweet voice of his and Ryuichi lost it, tears falling down his pale cheeks.

"You can begin any time Ryuichi-kun." Touya's voice came stirring through his head. "Let's see what we're up against."

"I didn't think you could do this. How is it possible? I thought he…."

"A corpse is just an unmoving body. As long as it's cared for quickly, it can still be forced into doing the same things it did while it was alive. Tatsuha's body is not really in a state of living or dead, so it's rather easy to manipulate, but we have to be careful. If we allow too much, we will not be able to recover his soul to his body." He explained. "The circle you are sitting in will keep his body "alive" in all aspects…it will keep his heart still beating. His lungs will shut down once the conversion starts taking place to allow for recovery. You will need to look for his soul while he is in such a state. If it stays detached from his conscious like this for to long it will begin to fade away just like his body would." The man really didn't want to have to think about that option. "I will be here to talk you through the entire thing. You do not have to worry about doing this alone."

Ryuichi stared down at the boy's remains and prayed that everything would go just as planned. There was so much riding on a small chance, but they had to do everything they could just to keep him in this world. Closing his eyes, he shifted, moving as gingerly as he could as he brought the larger body into his lap. He could feel Touya's concern and sadness the minute he leaned the battered frame against his own, but there was someone else there to comfort him, Ichiro, Ryu was pretty sure. Cradling the boy up against his chest and feeling the weight against him, he brushed a thumb over the side of his neck, trying to remove the charcoal soot that had painted the boy's entire body black and gray. Despite their intentions, the body was still cold and stiff and being in a room full of people was causing a nervousness in Ryu that made him swallow. Singing in front of a hundred thousand people was easy compared to this. Telling himself to just get it over with, he bowed his head, feeling his incisors lengthen against his tongue. Closing his eyes, he slowly let his teeth sink into the exposed side of his neck, not sure how much damage he should really be inflicting on this body.

The charred taste of flesh was the first thing that hit his sensors and despite himself his stomach lurched. The next, was despite all their best intentions the blood was thick and cold and Ryu had to fight the impulse to gag. This was not how Tatsuha was supposed to be at all! No, Tatsuha was supposed to be fiery and sweet with a pulse that beat frantically up against his face as he drank from him, not in this sad state like now. Pulling away after a moment, he wiped at his mouth, feeling the tears sting his lashes as they threatened to fall. He had closed the wound as best he could to be careful but his entire mouth was just filled with the cold bitter taste of death and it pulled the hole in his chest wide open again.

"Ojisan…" His voice was trembling as he spoke up, blue eyes still staring at the shallow marks in the blackened neck. "Will he really be able to take in my blood?"

"Ichiro will be doing it. Katsura's done a full analysis of his body and determined that his body is starving for something to eat. Shutting down his lungs and restarting up his digestive system will cause an almost immediate reaction in him." The response was immediate, calm and soothing and Ryu managed a nod, fangs tearing at his wrist.

Cradling Tatsuha's head in his arms, he forced his mouth open slightly, cringing at the sound of some protesting noise coming from the flesh and bone. Lifting his wrist, he let the blood trickle into his mouth, watching in fascination as he watched him swallow and then the body fell back to lifelessness again. Ryu swiftly sealed up the puncture marks and pulled the body closer, his head resting against the greasy raven black hair. All around him the air was stirring in a circular motion, the chorus of voices had drifted into a ghostly melody that echoed throughout his head and the room and the ground below him pulsed in a beautiful blue-green light. His emotions were racked, his body was shaking and he was only praying to something, anything that their plans were not in vain.

He shut his eyes and breathed in the smell of fire and smoke, nuzzling himself closer to the heavier body. With his eyes closed, he almost instantly became aware of how he had them laying, Tatsuha's bad shoulder on the outside so it wasn't supporting any weight. The more Ryuichi thought about it, the more he remembered every injury and wound on his body, feeling them all in detail, some he hadn't even seen. When the thought hit him that he was becoming closer to that body through the blood pact, he could feel the tug of Touya's small smile in his mind.

"His body is beginning to conform. It has to rebuild itself from the inside out, and holding onto his life is going to be difficult for the time being so I wont be talking as much. Please, start calling out to him. See if you can get him to open up a little." Touya's voice was a column of calm strength that Ryu found himself leaning on.

Finding a soul embedded in the very depths of a mortal body seemed easy, but the vampire found it to be quite difficult when the body was full of millions upon millions of cell to search and a broken black link in his head blocked his route to Tatsuha's mind, dead underneath the weight of his fractured skull.

His stomach rolled and lurched with its contents and trying keep himself steady, Ryu let out a soft breath and closed his baby blue eyes. Fingers ran along the side of Tatsuha's neck lazily as he cradled his body against his own, listening to the soft weak heartbeat that Ichiro was maintaining, feeling it quicken under the strain of the conversion. Acutely aware of the reaction rippling through muscle and tissue he stopped against the pulse, feeling its rhythmic rise against his fingertips.

It reminded him of that night he had lied on the couch in this man's arms, forcing himself to sleep a mortal night and listen to the workings of the larger body, the way it throbbed and ached for him, how the pounding his heart had picked up at his touch and the sharp deep intake of breath had slowed into a steady shallow function as he had fallen asleep. He could almost here the deep voice calling his name, and that warm boyish smile Tatsuha flashed whenever he spent time with him.

How could he have been so stupid as to let this man walk away from him? He had dwelled on his own fear and insecurity and it had almost cost him his lover's life. Yes, Tachibana was the cause, but Ryuichi felt that he was just as much at fault. If only he had been a little careful, if only he could have let down his guard to show Tatsuha how he had truly felt before this had happened….

He felt the tears stinging underneath his fine lashes and he swallowed, nuzzling his face against that thick black hair. Tatsuha. His Tatsuha. He had so many things to tell him. He could not afford to lose him now.

With a renewed confidence, Ryu dove into the recesses of his mind, looking for any trace of the mental path that had been linked between him before this incident. He was used to delving into Tatsuha's mind to read his thoughts, but all he found this time was stark emptiness, a big black void that seemed to swallow anything. Navigating such blackness was difficult, but he could feel he was not alone. There were several others within this body holding it together and allowing it the strength it needed to piece itself back together.

His consciousness placed in the empty hollow, Ryuichi nearly jumped back to his own mind when he felt the soft brush of something sweeping across him. It was slithering through the abyss and softly rubbed up against him like a cat looking for attention. Like a rapidly growing vine it wrapped around his body, snaking itself through him without the slightest pain or restriction. Ryu stood still, afraid that if he moved the feeling would dissolve completely into thin air, but it passed through his consciousness and continued on into the blackness, a slight tug on his mind allowing him to feel it continuing to move and rejoin itself. Tatsuha's mental link with him had grown stronger and was now completely attached between both of them.

It was that thin thread that made Ryuichi smile. Maybe somewhere along the line of this connection he would find where he was looking for. Feeling his arm where the slithering contact gave him the touch of the mental path he needed and trudging on throughout the darkness was easy as long as he could feel the mental path touching his body underneath his feet.

Just when he thought he would never find his way out through the blackness or get a response of the thin mental path between them, there was a small wave that swept through him, like someone pulling on a tiny thread that ran through Ryu's body. Spinning around, he could only see blackness, but he could still feel the connection through his chest, the small pull that was straining there and the vampire could feel his heart ache with hope and longing.

"Tatsuha?" He called out, only to hear his voice echo back to him in the emptiness.

He felt the ripple of alarm through the others as if he was right next to them and lifted his head, pulling back into his own mind. His body hit him with such a heavy weight he let out a small gasp and swallowed against a suddenly dry throat. His body shivered, suddenly cold and he hugged the larger body to him. He was not sure how much time had passed out while he had been in there, but it could not have simply just been minutes. Everyone was looking a little worn for wear, especially Ichiro, who was sweating and looked to be straining through the process, his fine brows furrowed and a small frown on his lips from the weight of his actions.

"We have visitors." Touya's voice informed him calmly, though the tone implied that this was deadly serious. If the ceremony was interrupted at this point, there would be no way that Tatsuha would make it. "Don't worry Ryuichi-kun. We need you to focus on finding Tatsuha's soul. You're doing a good job already."

The compliment was enough to sway Ryu's hesitance, but it was not enough to disguise the moving presences of a group of vampires coming closer and closer by the second. Distorted by being half in and out of his body he could not tell but the feeling of dread rising through everyone was not good. "How many are there?" He asked softly, looking at the group, all of which were sitting calmly and reserved with closed eyes.

"Ten. Maybe twelve." Yuki answered honestly and slowly his gold eyes flickered open. The wind in the barrier fluctuated and then stabilized as he started to make it to his feet.

Pretty violet eyes opened as Shuichi lifted his head and again the barrier fluctuated for a minute. "What are you doing?" Katsura scolded through gritted teeth, and it was obvious he had taken the added weight of the barrier once the other two had broken contact with it.

"Yuki?" Shuichi questioned softly, still a little dazed from the spell.

"I'll go." Eiri said without skipping a beat, glancing between the others around them. He was waiting for someone to try and defy him, but no one ever spoke up.

"Yuki!" Shuichi pleaded, grabbing for his arm, violet eyes widening. "If you're going then I am too!"

"Shuichi, if you're going then we are too." Hiro, started, his eyes flickering open after hearing this plan and stopped when Eiri held up his hand in instant dismissal.

"Stay here and help the others. Shuichi and I can handle this." Golden eyes glanced to the middle of the circle, staring into the iridescent silver blue eyes of the vampire trapped within the spell and protecting the battered body that was reshaping and evolving through the conversion. It had only been two hours and already Ryuichi was bathed in sweat, long dark strands of hair sticking to his face and neck. "Should something happen to him, I'm coming after you in death Sakuma." He growled and with that was up and moving out of the shield, Shuichi quickly following.

"Understood Yuki-san." Ryu murmured, letting his head fall again, his body nestled up against Tatsuha's his forehead against the other boy's as he cradled his head against his chest.

As soon as the door was closed, Hiro growled but allowed himself to fall back into the spell, smoothly picking up the pace without to much of a power surge. He had realized when Yuki and Shuichi had pulled out that Katsura and Touya were responsible for maintaining the spell and keeping it from faded or exploding with the contact of the others on top of holding stable vitals on Tatsuha's conforming body. The rest of the Uesugi family was just amazing and it made him wonder exactly what type of powers Yuki possessed if he was confidence that just the two of them could take out twelve vampires with no problems.

"They'll be fine." Touya said softly, not opening his eyes nor allowing his expression or momentum to fall in the least. If his concentration strayed, the barrier would fall, the conversion would rip straight through the corpse and Tatsuha's soul would not make it through all of this. "They're experienced hunters…they can take out a few of their kind without flinching."

"No 'experienced hunter' can take out twelve of their own kind without breaking a sweat." Fujisaki spoke up, voicing what Hiro was thinking in his head.

At that a small smile flickered across the handsome Uesugi's features. "Then you've never seen Eiri fight I believe." And he managed a small chuckle.

Ryuichi barely heard him as he laid there, eyes closed, calling over and over through a dark void, and empty shell to try and feel that part of his lover that was gone, to pinpoint exact where inside he had hidden himself. The hours passed had made the ghastly body cold and heavy and only with the conversion now had the warmth returned to it, or so it seemed as there were multiple beings stabilizing its very condition.

The vampire was not aware of the way the physical form was repairing itself, the charred flesh slowly returning to it's soft and pale state as if the horrible accident had never happened, the blood evaporating away, seeping back into the pours as the form tried to rebuild itself, bones righting themselves in the batted figure with the soft creaking sound that was lost in the sizzling static of the barrier. He was so focused on calling out, so embedded through his mind on the insides of this body and making sure they all healed properly as he searched for the missing soul that he almost passed the soft whisper brushing against his consciousness like a feathered kiss. It was stronger then the tug on his body he had felt before when he had delved into his mind and it managed to pull him into the right direction this time. When he felt it again a little stronger he nearly recoiled and his pale demonic eyes opened wide as he looked down at the body righting itself in his arms. It had been there, and it was growing with the force of his pulse, with the beat of his heart and the intake of his lungs.

"Sakuma-san!" Katsura cried out in alarm and happiness and it was then that he realized his body was functioning again on its own. The heart had began to beat without the help of Ichiro's powers and the rise and fall of his chest was naturally happening.

So very frightened of what to do, he connected with the spot he had felt the presence and with trembling lips called out. "T-Tatsuha? Tatsuha, can you here me…?"

There was nothing for a few moments and in that second, Ryu thought he might have imagined it. But the pressure around him fluctuated and a soft deep voice echoed back. 'Who…who are you….Sakuma…'

The answer came soft and slow as if it was try to remember words and thoughts. But the second he heard his voice, small delicate hands clutched the larger body and Ryuichi felt the tears pour down his cheeks as he stood there looking out at the darkness. "Tatsuha…Yeah Tatsuha, it's me." He whispered out, scanning the darkness around him.

'What…happened…?" Came the soft question. "Am I dead…? Why are you crying?'

"You're far from dead Tatsuha." He replied, wiping at his face embarrassed of being caught bawling like a baby. "We saved you. Everyone is so worried about you. Won't you come back to us?"

"There was a crash…vampires attacked during the daylight….' The voice wavered as the accident came back to him and Ryu could feel the blackness ripple around him in response. 'Why are you here Sakuma-san…?" Now hesitance.

Ryuichi swallowed. To Tatsuha, they were still in the middle of having problems with their relationship, and it wasn't going to be perfect. There was going to be a lot that needed to be sorted out after all of this. But it was a chance the vampire knew he was ready to take. "Because I love you!" He called out, feeling the tears slip down his cheeks. "And because I almost lost you to my own stupidity. Tatsuha, you almost died because of me! And I know you might hate me now, but everyone else has been so worried about you! Shuichi, Yuki-san, Touya-ojisan…they're all waiting for you to come back! You have to keep living, if not because of me, but because they would all be sad if you left without them!"

Maybe he had really screwed up, but he didn't want the decision of whether or not Tatsuha wanted his life back to fall on him. He could understand if he didn't want to see him anymore, but he had to realize that there were people that would miss him if he were gone.

The darkness shimmered and rippled and out of the blackness came Tatsuha, tall and handsome as ever, standing before trembling and crying Ryuichi. Those big silver-blue eyes widened and his fangs tugged at his bottom look as those dark eyes watched him. The next thing he knew was he was being pulled into those strong arms, held tightly up against the larger form. The man let out a deep breath and allowed himself to bury his face in the black clothing Tatsuha was wearing in the dark depths of his mind.

"You came to find me Sakuma-san. That's all I could ask for." He said softly. "I don't know how I got so lost, but I'm glad that it was you that came to find me. I could never hate you."

"Things will be different this time Tatsuha. There's going to be a lot of changes, but I'll do everything I can for you. Will you come back with me, knowing it would hurt, that you would have to rebuild your life from the very basics?" Ryuichi wanted to be as honest with him as he could be. He had turned him to save his life, and that was not something you could just grow accustomed to in your sleep.

Tatsuha laughed softly and the sound it created rolled through Ryuichi and seemed to make his entire body warm again. "If I could be with you Sakuma-san, I don't care what I'd have to do. That is all I've ever wanted."

Ryu smiled against that chest trying to stop the tears. He was not sure what he had done to deserve such unconditional love, but he was proud and ecstatic that in Tatsuha's eyes, he was still everything.

They both separated from each other's minds and delved back into their own bodies at the same time, Ryuichi teaching Tatsuha how toe reunite with his body. The pain that came flooding into the vampire's mind was nerve-wracking and coupled with the heavy weight of his own body and his uneasy stomach, he nearly lost the contents of his earlier meals on the floor next to him.

"It's a lot more then I initially thought…" Tatsuha whispered, his voice suddenly weak underneath the weight of his battered body. "I don't know what it's doing besides fixing itself but…it's nearly intolerable."

"Sleep." Ryuichi hushed, looking down at the body in his arms, noticing the changes the conversion had had and the way his body was repairing itself. It nearly brought him to tears again. They had really done it. He wasn't out of the danger zone yet, but they had found him and brought him back from the brink of death. "Let your body rest for a while and your mind rebuild itself." He tenderly kissed his forehead and felt the soft reply as he allowed his spirit to fade into the broken body and fall quiet to allow for the healing process to take over.

"Ryuichi-kun…" The soft voice made him lift his head and see those white eyes peering back at him admirably. Looking around, he realized that it was only Ichiro and Katsura still maintaining the shield and their powers on Tatsuha's body, but as far as they were concerned he was no longer in a life threatening condition. "I knew you could do it."

He smiled weakly back, feeling his body quiver underneath all the pressure. His clothing was plastered to him and his long dark hair was caked to his neck and his face but he had done it. "Thank you Ojisan, for all your help."

"Complete your third blood exchange. Make him yours." Touya said, standing up and stretching stiff and tired muscles. At Ryu's slight blush he only smiled. "It will help with the conversion and the repair of his body." He explained. "If it will be-"

His words halted as he tottered on his fault and started to fall. "Uesugi-san!" It was Hiro who caught him by the arms, helping to balance himself on his feet.

"Thank you Nakano-kun." Touya smiled at him. "I'm just a little tired is all. This was a little to much work for an old man like me."

"I still can't believe you're an 'old man'." Fujisaki merely shook his head as Touya swept back his long blue hair and tied it at the nape of his neck.

Ryuichi smiled and looked down at the boy in his arms, sweeping back the long raven bangs, feeling the silky soft strands under his fingertips not marred with grease and blood like they had been a few hours ago. Tilting his head, his fingers found the place where the puncture wounds had been earlier and found them to be completely healed. Leaning his head down, he pierced the same spot he had earlier, tasting the warm sweet blood that flowed into his mouth, the same irresistible craving coming over the first time he had tasted him like this. It was his Tatsuha alright and there was no one else that would ever replace him

Touya had ushered Hiro and Fujisaki outside of the apartment and up onto the roof, giving Ryuichi some much-needed privacy for the time being. The city lights were all a glow against the dark sky, which was starting to lighten at the horizon line. "Dawn's not to far off, and still no word from Shuichi." Hiro replied worriedly, looking about the area.

"I think you're worried about the wrong guys."

The voice belonged to K, who had somehow managed to get up on top of the building too. He was sitting on the side of the building, his legs hanging off. "Shuichi can survive a bullet to the head and I don't even want to think of Yuki-san when he's seriously mad."

"You know them pretty well." Touya smiled at him, tilting his head slightly in his direction.

"Of course I do." K said with nothing more then a shrug. "Go if you want Hiro. It's radiating on your face how much you want to."

The redhead merely stared at K and then out at the city. "We have maybe two hours before sunrise and you want to go scour the city NOW?" Suguru demanded. "Leave me out of it. If they end up dead, they end up dead."

"You're coming with me." Hiro demanded. "Two people can cover much more ground then one." Grabbing the back of Fujisaki's shirt he threw him off the side of the building, gracefully jumping off after.

"Be careful boys!" Touya called. "Remember, you're pretty weak from magic right now!"

"We will! Thank you!" Hiro yelled back with a smile, nearly dragged his comrade along behind him.

Watching as they disappeared, the older Uesugi could only chuckle. "So what did you think of tonight? Feel a little out of your league with all the demons?"

"A little maybe." K said softly. "But it showed me that this entire scheme wasn't just another one of Tohma's crazy plans and that Ryuichi really does love Tatsuha." He looked back at the other man. "I guess I'm just a little old fashioned maybe in my head. Or narrow-minded."

"I was the same at one time." Touya admitted. "But with the world changing, you can't just sit back and let things happen and pretend they don't affect you. It's been our mistake for far to long, this family of mine." He smiled warmly at the tall blonde. "I'm going to return to Ryuichi-kun's side and make sure everything is alright. If you are leaving to, I wish you well K-san. Oh! And I'll see you at the concert."

The American batted his lashes as the other man dropped back on the bottom floor and then buried his head in his hands. How the hell were they going to pull off a concert with all this going on?!

--

The crunch of a body hitting the asphalt was only followed by the sickening crush of a boot coming down on the skull. Gold eyes glowed in the alley like a predator stalking prey and Eiri lifted the cigarette he was taking a drag on to exhale a long line of smoke. He could see the others in the darkness, watching him, waiting their turn to die. It didn't matter to him. He was in a really bad mood and they were merely just asking for it.

"Who's next?" He asked, dropping the flaring cigarette butt on the ground and squashing it under the rubber sole like he had just done with the last vampire's head.

There was a sickening hiss and another one lunged at him. "Why fight your own kind, traitor?!" It screamed, only to be rammed up against the brick wall with enough force to dent it.

"Because Tachibana is a dick and you all are just scum for following an order he says. I can't believe you all just let him move in on your territory like that." He pierced his hand straight through the vampire's chest while he was still done and severed his heart in two, the body corroding into dust and blood as it fell to pieces.

At that two more threw themselves out of the shadows at him and we're as easily expelled, those glowing eyes scanning the darkness. "Don't fuck with me."

"Yuki!" Shuichi rounded the corner, covered in blood and sweat, his violet eyes the exact opposite of his lover's as they shined in the darkness.

Above his head Yuki saw something move and he growled. "Shuichi!" He called out, watching as the boy raised his head at his attacker. There was the soft cry as claws ran deep through his shoulder, but the attacking vampire was flung off with a grapple move and disintegrated by a hand straight through the chest as Eiri caught him before he hit the wall.

Shu dropped to his knees, trying to get a good look at the wound that had nearly severed his right arm from his body. Immediately the blonde was on him, tearing the clothing off his body from the collar down so that the entire shirt fell away. "Jesus, what the hell were you doing?!" He demanded, inspecting the wound thoroughly. He tore at his own wrist, thrusting it against Shuichi's face. "Drink. How could you be so stupid?!"

Shuichi did as he was told, bowing his head and generously taking in the warm liquid, knowing the taste of it by heart. He felt his lover lapping at the wound on his shoulder, and it sent shivers through him, his face flushing hotly. "Y-Yuki…"

He didn't get any sort of response, just his wrist pressed more against his lips. As he drank, he felt his lover's lips and tongue cleaning the wound out, drinking in the blood being spilled by the cut. When it seemed Shuichi's vampire powers had begun to kick in and the bleeding slowed, Eiri pulled his face back and used a quick healing spell on both his lover's shoulder and his own wrist. "I'm no good at curing magic and we're both drained. We need to get someplace to rest…you'll need to sleep to recover from an injury like that."

"I'm sorry…" Shuichi murmured, knowing he put them both in danger now. Closing his eyes, he waited for another reprimand, but instead his lover's trench coat was dropped around his small frame. "Yuki?"

"It's already covered in blood, and with you bleeding you're going to get cold." His lover explained, not meeting his gaze but instead, rolling up the sleeves of his navy blue dress shirt, splattered with crimson.

Shu stood, wrapping the trench coat around himself and watching as the end dragged the floor. The sleeves were to long and it overall didn't fit, but it smelled like the tall gorgeous blonde and it was warm from his body. The boy snuggled into it, pulling the large front pieces closed over his naked torso. Reaching out, he wrapped his arms around his lover. "Thank you Yuki."

"Don't mention it." Already those golden eyes were scanning the area, and they narrowed at the darkness. "Let's move."

Grabbing the smaller hand, he pulled him through the alley, leaping up a pair of emergency stairs to get them out of the narrow alcove and up onto the top of the building. Shuichi followed and upon reaching the top, had Yuki's body thrust in front of. "Yu-" he started and then trailed off, violet eyes going wide and then narrowing. "You…you bastard!"

"Evidently you didn't like my pawns." Standing on the other side of the roof was none other then Tachibana himself. He slipped off his glasses, glowing pale green eyes shining in the city lights.

"You've been watching us the entire time. It's not like you haven't tried to mask your presence. You sacrificed your people just so you could sit back and watch the show. Are you that full of yourself, or are you just that big of a pussy?" Eiri said flatly in his deep voice that demanded authority.

"You're certainly not all sugar and light like the press has said about you." Hideo smiled wickedly. "Unlike you, I'm not here to see how high I can get my body count before the sun rises." His face solemned and he crossed his arms across his chest. "Hand over Sakuma Ryuichi and the remains of Uesugi Tatsuha."

"Like hell!" Shuichi snapped, coming out from behind Eiri, one hand on his shoulder which had started bleeding again. "So you kill all of Sakuma-san's hopes and dreams again? Get it through your thick head! He doesn't love you! He hates you!"

That set off Tachibana's temper and it was merely instant before he seemed to be in his face. Shuichi took a step back, knowing that if he took another inch backward he would fall three stories. Eiri rushed him, taking the impact to the side only to kick his attacker back the entire length of the roof. "YUKI!" Shuichi cried out, watching the blonde, pressing his hand against his side which was now pooling blood.

"The next time you think of attacking Shuichi, consider yourself dead." Eiri snarled, golden eyes watching the other vampire pick himself up from where he had collided with a air ventilation system and the concrete roof. "If I wasn't enjoying the thought of Sakuma tearing you apart I would do it myself. But it would bring more satisfaction to see your own 'son' do my job for me."

Tachibana chuckled, but his image just evaporated into nothingness as it stood there. "You're so protective Yuki-san that it's almost cute."

"Wha…?" Shuichi blinked at the dissolving figure.

"It was just an illusion." Eiri growled, gold eyes starting a scan of the area. "He's toying with us."

At that, a firm grip reached around Shu's ankle and pulled him backward. Eiri barely had time to look over his shoulder before the boy was gone of the side of the building as he was rammed hard from behind, claws digging straight through both shoulders and pushing him into the ventilation shaft, the thundering impact of the body on metal drowning out the sickening crack of his lover's body as it plummeted to the pavement.

Yuki had not estimated this much strength out of the pale-haired pretty boy and he hissed, his face pressed hard against the cold metal. "Are you sure you don't want to think about decision? It would be better for you and your partner, presuming he survived that fall bleeding like he was."

The blonde brought back his elbow and slammed it hard into his attacker's chest, smirking when he heard the crack of bones in the process. It freed one of his sides and he spun around reaching for his opponent's neck. A clawed hand grabbed his and dug deeper into his shoulder twisting him back towards the metal. Growling, he closed his eyes and let his body fall into a transformation he hardly used. With a ferocious growl that radiated the air Tachibana was forced back, green eyes wide at the birth of a massive golden tiger.

The cat bared its large fangs snarling at him as it pinned its ears back and then dove off the side of the building. Hideo put a hand to his chest, feeling his broken ribs pulse beneath the skin, his body beginning to rebuild itself. He had never seen a transformation executed so quickly and flawlessly, nor such a big tiger…the one Yuki had become was easily twenty feet long from head to the end of his tail and about shoulder height. He was also very strong and stubborn. Hideo hadn't been looking for a worthy opponent, but at least his enemies were worthy.

Yuki didn't know how far he would get in this form, especially carrying an injured person on his back. Shuichi had fallen with no help, but the emergency stair case had saved him a story down and although he was mangled, unconscious and suffering from a new head wound, he would still live as long as they could get help. Yuki however was bleeding from the side and both shoulders and his tiger side was hungry and irritable. If anyone showed up in his way, he was half tempted to eat them. Turning a corner, he saw someone drop from the opposite side of the alley and he stopped. If Tachibana had sent more goons after them, he was screwed. He couldn't fight in this condition, not now.

He growled a warning, slowly backing away. It seemed to only be one. If it was just one, he would be able to maul the heck out of it and just flee.

"Woah, woah, woah…" The figure held up its hands. "Yuki-san, it's just me."

The blonde recognized the voice and the tiger stilled, its tail swishing in curiosity. "What…are you doing here…?"

--

Dawn came, promising to be another beautiful day. Touya and K covered the windows and blocked as much light out of the living room as they could, lighting candles within the apartment to give a sense of light for the humans who were housed within. Ichiro and Katsura, finally having let down the barrier right before sunrise, were nestled together in a corner, Ichiro sitting up with his head leaning on the parallel wall and Katsura curled up with one of the blankets, his head resting in his elder brother's lap.

Once Tatsuha had been brought out of danger, and sleep was the best remedy for his healing body, he was moved with Ryuichi onto the spacious L-shaped couch and covered with blankets so that he could rest. Ryuichi let his head lay in his lap and hadn't left him for a second despite his need to feed and his oncoming sloth during the daylight hours.

"I'll be heading out now." K said once he had made sure the others in the house were comfortable and for the most safe. "Let me know if you hear anything from Shuichi and the others."

"Are you going to NG, K?" Ryu asked sleepily, fighting to keep his eyes open.

The American nodded and gave a small smile. "Whether you like it or not, we've still got a concert tomorrow."

Those big blue eyes widened in realization and then he just swallowed and nodded. "You're right. Hopefully…everything will be resolved by then."

"That depends on you and Tachibana I guess." K replied. "The two of you need to see eye to eye on things or the situation is only going to get worse." He glanced to Touya who was standing in the doorway watching him. "Take care of those two."

"I will. Send Seguchi-san my regards." He replied warmly as the blonde left, slipping through the door to try and block out as much light as possible.

The morning hours passed by in and out of napping for Ryuichi. He really didn't sleep, but more or less thought of things had been. His hesitance and insecurity had pushed Tatsuha away and it was the same feelings that had kept him running from Tachibana all these years. He had never really liked the man for what he had done to him or how he had tried to control his life, but that was because Ryuichi had never spoken up and told him how he felt. Even when he had returned to the states he had avoided him and finally told him that he never wanted to see him again. And not being serious with him had caused this entire mess and dragged Tatsuha and the others into so many things. If only he could be a little more forward with his emotions.

When he was singing, it was so easy to lose himself in the entire depth of the song, and the words and feelings came out of his heart naturally, transforming mere words into something few could do on stage. Shuichi had learned to take those emotions he had for Yuki-san and their relationship and correspond them into his music, so when he started belting out 'In the Moonlight' it came from everything he had built up inside of him, and now Ryuichi was too. That song he had written for Tatsuha had been hid start of showing that. If only…

The sound of the phone ringing streaked through his mind, and cerulean eyes fluttered open as Touya answered the phone, walking back and forth in the dark room. It was only a minute or so later before he leaned over the couch. "Ryuichi-kun…Seguchi Tohma is on the phone. He says that it is urgent."

The vampire extended a hand to take the phone, putting it to his ear. "Tohma-"

"I will kill him."

The usually calm voice was stressed and two steps away from hysterics. Ryu forced his eyes opened and sat up straight, being careful as he moved Tatsuha and then stood, feeling his body protest movement in the dead of day. "Tohma what's going on?"

"Eiri is in critical condition and Shindou nearly died!" He could hear the creak of the recliner chair in Tohma's office as he leaned back. "Ryuichi I can't take any more of this. Not with the concert tomorrow. I wont have the two largest bangs in Japan there because that bastard will have killed them along with everyone else dear to me!"

Ryuichi paused. "How are Yuki-san and Shuichi now?" He asked. "Where are they?"

"I had some help getting them last night and Nakano and Fujisaki are here of course. They've both been moved out of danger, but I don't know if Shindou will be in any condition to perform tomorrow night. Listen to me; that should be the least of my worries." There was a deep sigh coming from Tohma and then that subtle calmness started coming back. "How's Tatsuha?"

Ryu smiled and closed his eyes. "He's alright. Still sleeping, but he'll be okay."

"Well it's good to hear at least some good news." There was a hint of a smile in Tohma's words and Ryuichi nodded.

"Hey, Tohma, do you have the phone number to Tachibana's hotel room?" He asked after a second, leaning against the doorframe to the living room.

"I do, but he's not there. I had the NPA raid it earlier."

Ryuichi smiled at that despite everything. Only Tohma would turn around and do something so hideously drastic. "So he's not there….thanks."

"Don't get yourself anymore connected with him then you already are Ryu." Came a soft reprimand to which the vampire could only close his eyes.

"It was my connection to him that got you all into this mess in the first place." He countered lightly. "Don't worry. I won't do anything stupid. Are we up for a rehearsal this evening maybe?"

There was a small pause before the ever calm answer. "Of course. I'll let Noriko know as soon as I'm off the phone."

"Kay! See ya then!" He replied happily and hung up, holding the phone to his chest.

It was not hard to find contacts to Tachibana. Ryu knew of several vampires from the states and within Japan who were acquaintances of the other and within a few hours, Ryuichi had tracked down the exact place his "father" was hiding during the daylight hours. He was proud of Tohma for having earthly connections, but it was better to have them of the otherworldly kind too.

Calling the number had set off a chain of reactions in the safehouse apparently because the voices in the background could be heard debating before the phone was finally passed. "Ryuichi?" The hopeful and expectant voice was no doubt Tachibana. It shot through Ryu like a cold dagger and he swallowed.

"It's me Hideo-san." He said softly, sitting over by the locked front door. He had asked for privacy and Touya and the now-awake Katsura had given it to him, tending to Tatsuha instead instead of eavesdropping in on the conversation.

"This is quite a surprise…I wasn't planning on hearing from you." His voice was thoroughly pleased and Ryu rolled his eyes.

"I wasn't planning on tracking you down either, but then again I didn't think my blood father would resort to cowering in the shadows." He replied, his anger and sadness welling up inside of him. "How dare you think you could lay a hand on my Tatsuha and get away with it!" All at once he was yelling into the phone. "Or Yuki-san and Shuichi! They're part of my family!"

"How dare YOU associate with the Uesugi clan!" Came the hissing answer. "They're demon killers! They've been massacring our kind for years when they stem from the same blood. I won't accept you even associating with them. They all deserve to die."

'My family hunts ghosts and foul creatures because we know they exist…' Yuki's words came radiating back and Ryu swallowed. "I never asked for this kind of life!" He cried. "I didn't ASK to be a vampire. You forced this on me, just like you forced YOURSELF on me. Only because I was to young to know any better is no excuse!" He was so mad his vision was blurring, not knowing those were tears spilling down his face. "There are foul vampires out there just like there are foul humans out there and if the Ueusgi clan has decided to exorcise them, then that is their decision. They made that choice, but I also know that Tatsuha, Yuki-san and Mika-san made different choices, to be with the people that loved them instead of thinking of the interests of the clan. They are good people and they did not deserve to be hurt this way!"

There was only silence on the other end and Ryu bit into his bottom lip, fangs drawing blood but he continued on quickly. "Should you attack one of them again, I will not stand for it. I will kill you myself. I…" He leaned his head against his knees, wrapping his one arm around himself as the other held the phone to his ear. "I want you to come to the concert tomorrow night. There's a song I want you to hear."

"A song?" Came the soft reply. "Your new one?"

"Yes, the new one." Ryu nodded. "And once you hear it, maybe you'll understand a little better how I feel. Until then…goodbye Father."

Not waiting for an answer, he hung up the phone, watching as his trembling fingers wrapped around the phone. Tired and completely worn he got to his feet and returned to the main room, only to find Katsura standing there in the doorway, crying like a little baby. He wrapped his arms around the smaller boy, pulling him in a hug.

"Katsura…" Touya smiled and let out a soft sigh as the two boys embraced, both feeding off the other's tears. He stood back up and came over to the two, pulling his little brother away slightly. "You don't watch it and you're gonna make someone jealous."

Ryuichi blinked his cerulean eyes, looking past the other two towards the couch to check for his lover and nearly had a heart attack when he saw the covers pushed aside and the boy sitting up, raven eyes regarding him with amusement. "Tatsuha…" He breathed, and felt his feet move, crossing the distance of the room until he was standing right in front of him.

The dark eyes danced underneath long raven bangs and he managed a small smile. "Hey." He said softly. Lifting a hand he reached for him and pulled the boy on to his lap. Ryuichi went willingly, straddling his lover's legs as he collapsed on his lap. All at once, he was crying for a different reason. His small hands wrapped around those strong shoulders, fingers burying in the dark hair as he leaned in to steal a kiss. Those warm lips pressed against his and he could feel those big strong hands against his back, running from his shoulder blades slowly down to rest around the small of his back.

Tatsuha sighed softly as the kiss broke. His dark eyes had a different look about them now; Ryu noticed as he stared at his handsome face, mused with the changes and the animalistic quality he found in them. If he had looked like his older brother before, they truly resembled each other now. "I feel like I've been run over by a mack truck." The teenager admitted, leaning his head back against the couch.

"You haven't fed yet. And it's still light out. Most newbie vampires can't stay awake during the day hours. I'm surprised your even functioning at this hour." Ryu told him, nuzzling his face against his lover's neck. He was hungry too and his body had become alive again. Every cell seemed to call out for this man as it truly acknowledged him as its soulmate.

"So I've joined the blood-sucking crew, eh?" He asked softly, the hot breath against his neck making his heart race and his body fell weak.

"It's not so bad. You can just learn from me." Ryu leaned back, looking into those dark eyes and smoothing back the long onyx bangs. "It's difficult to feed at first, but that's the only way you're going to get your strength back."

Tatsuha let his finger run up his lover's back, thumb feathering across the side of his neck back and forth as he weighed his descion. Ryu tilted his head and pulled his long chocolate brown hair over his opposite shoulder to bare more of his pale flesh. "I think if it was you Saku-"

A finger pressed up against his lips silenced him and those slitted blue eyes spoke volumes. There was no more need for formality between them.

Smiling sweetly, he opened his mouth, letting the finger slip inside, scrapping along his fangs which were beginning to lengthen in his gums. Ryuichi gasped and blushed bright red, his eyes widening at the act. He could feel the warm wet tongue stroke along his small nimble finger and he whimpered softly, pulling his hand away and placing it on Tatsuha's shoulder. His stomach rumbled and his body tensed with his beating heart. "Tatsuha, don't do that. It makes my body go crazy." He said slightly embarrassed of his reaction, to which Tatsuha chuckled.

"As I was saying," He said, feeling the shy embarrassment there in the other's mind. "If it was you Ryuichi, I think I could feed off of you."

Those bright blue eyes jerked back to his face in an instant at the calling of his first name and he smiled. "I want you to." He said softly, blushing slightly still, but smiling that smile that turned all of Tatsuha's insides to mush.

One of those large hands grabbed the man's smooth chin, tilting his head away as he leaned in close. Raven eyes drifted close, as the aching teeth in the boy's mouth reached a breaking point. All he could hear when his teeth broke the soft pale skin was a soft whining gasp from his lover's mouth and felt the rush of sweet warmth flow across his tongue and down his throat. Small fingers delved into his thick black hair, cradling his head to his neck. The wounds were not even closed before Tatsuha had pulled his face away, tilting his head away and back on the couch. Ryu silently answered his orders, sinking his teeth into the strong neck freely drinking while Tatsuha shifted him and coaxed the puncture wounds on the man's neck to close with his tongue. It was not sure who thought it first, but for the first time they were both of one mind and the same blood ran in both of their veins. This was a pact created between them that was deeper then anything either one of them had ever felt before, a promise that whatever happened in the future, they would make it together.

**Chapter Seven End**

Author's Notes: Lot of action, mush and blood, but I guess that's what you would expect out of a vampire fanfiction. For those of you who have been waiting, I'm terribly sorry. I've had to delay the posting for a while due to IRL issues, but no worries, Idol of Song is continuing and Chapter Eight is in progress.

Speaking of Chapter Eight: the preview will be posted tomorrow, January 17, 2007 EST. The day of the concert is upon us and it's down to the wire. Will Bad Luck make it on stage, or will they be forced to sit out possibly the last concert of Nittle Grasper's existence? Meanwhile, Ryuichi is having to spend a day working on a song he is trying to keep an absolute secret from Tatsuha and the worries of all of the chaos is giving him a little bit of difficulty. What's more Tachibana comes face to face with Tatsuha and exposes a large portion of Ryu's pre-vampire past. With mere hours left, can NG pull off the biggest music event in Japan or will everything fall apart at the seams? Until I write again!

Sora Tokumi Kazuma


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